UK warmer than California as temperature hits 23C on hottest day of year

The mercury soared to the new high in St James’s Park in central London on Good Friday afternoon

Temperatures reached 23C (Andrew Matthews/PA) (PA Wire)

The UK has recorded its warmest day of the year so far after temperatures hit 23.4C.

The mercury soared to the new high in St James’s Park in central London on Good Friday afternoon, the Met Office said, making it hotter than California.

The previous high for the year was 20.8C, which was recorded in March.

The warm weather was not limited to the capital, with the mercury reaching the high teens in northern areas including Yorkshire and parts of Scotland.

The UK was hotter than California (Andrew Matthews/PA) (PA Wire)

Many parts of the country basked in glorious sunshine, clear skies and warm weather, while parts of south-west England and western Wales were cloudy throughout the day.

There were some heavy showers in parts of Northern Ireland.

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge told the PA news agency: “Friday was the warmest day of the year so far with most of England dry and sunny.

“Skies were blue and many enjoyed a very nice start to the Easter weekend.”

Beachgoers were urged to “stick on the sunscreen” and drink plenty of water to protect against higher-than-average UV levels.

The previous high was recorded in March (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

However, scattered showers and fog will begin to appear in Scotland and Northern Ireland, on Friday night, before a slightly cooler Saturday, with highs of 22C in southern England.

Mr Partridge added: “It will be a fairly cloudy start to the morning before developing into a rather fine and sunny day on the most part.

“Areas in the central and southern England, such as the West Midlands, are most likely to reach the low twenties.

“It will then become gradually cooler going into Sunday, with showers in Scotland and Northern Ireland, while most other areas should remain pleasant.”