UK weather latest: Temperatures set to beat Rio and LA on record-breaking May Day bank holiday

UK to bask in the blazing sun – except for parts of northern Scotland and Northern Ireland

Britain is set to be to be hotter than Rio on Monday as forecasters predict the warmest May Day Bank Holiday on record.

Temperatures could soar as high as 28C in some parts of the UK, according to the Met Office.

That would break the previous high of 23.6C reached in 1999 in Worcester, Malvern and the Hampshire village of Martyr Worthy.

It means the UK could enjoy better weather on Monday than dozens of popular tourist destinations including Barcelona (20C), Athens (23C), Mexico City (23C), Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro (26C).

Most of the country will see plenty of sunshine although the hottest temperatures will be in the Southeast.

“It is likely that temperatures could be record breaking,” said Andy Page, chief meteorologist at the Met Office. “The best of the sunshine and the highest temperatures are expected across England and Wales away from the coast.”

Parts of northern Scotland and Northern Ireland will however miss out on the best of the weather, with forecasters predicting clouds and rain.

The heatwave follows a week during which parts of the UK endured freezing winds and torrential downpours.

After the bank holiday there is a small risk of thunderstorms in the south.

The warm weather is expected to last into Wednesday when bands of showers will push eastwards across the country.

Forecasters are also predicting temperatures of 31C from June onwards.