UK weather: Britain to be hotter than Spain as temperatures hit 18 degrees

A change in continental winds means Britain will welcome in its first warm spell of the year

The weather will be caused by warmer air blown in from the continent (CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images)

Warm air coming in from the continent will bring unseasonably sunny weather with it this weekend, with parts of Britain to enjoy conditions comparable to the Mediterranean.

From Saturday, temperatures are expected to reach 18C in London and 17C across the southern and central England in the first warm weather of the year.

The weather will be similar to Barcelona and hotter than Madrid, which is expecting 15C.

Temperatures will be over 5C higher than what is typical for April, which is usually around 11C.

The changes, a marked contrast to Storm Katie which caused damage to buildings in late March, are due to a shift in wind direction, bringing in continental tropical air.

Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: “Warmer air will become widespread on Sunday and a lot of us will notice a slightly warmer feel, slightly muggier. It will be the first widespread warm spell we have seen this year.

“There will be plenty of dry and bright weather but there will be rain at some times.

“We will continue to see the warm air coming up from the continent but it looks like a much more showery day on Monday. It’s a brief taste of warmer weather which will end by Tuesday.”

However, there will still be a risk of frost at night.

Temperatures are expected to return to normal later in the week.