UK weather: Temperatures to reach 18C on Saturday as April remains sunny and ‘remarkably dry’

This month has seen near-record low levels of rainfall

Temperatures are expected to reach highs of 18C this Saturday, as the spate of sunny and “remarkably dry” April weather continues for much of the UK.

The weekend will begin with a “touch of frost” on Saturday morning, according to the Met Office, with eastern and northern parts of Scotland and England also treated to some cloud and mist.

But this is soon expected to lift, making way for another warm and sunny day in which the mercury will mostly hover in the mid-teens.

Highs of 18 are expected to come in Manchester and north Wales, while some breezier conditions may keep temperatures confined to single-digits in the east and northeast.

While the forecast is largely rosy across the British Isles, according to Met Office forecaster Aidan McGivern, the “main exception” comes in Orkney and Shetland, where clouds will be thicker and the latter could face light showers.

The heat enjoyed in most parts of the country is then forecast to give way to a cold night, followed by more widespread sunshine on Sunday – although temperatures will likely not be as balmy as in the previous two days.

This year has seen one of the driest Aprils on record, with the UK experiencing less than a fifth of the month’s average rainfall so far.

As of Thursday, there has been an average of 12.8mm of rain across the UK – far below the April average of 72.53mm, according to Met Office figures.

A typical April in the UK would have had 70 per cent of its rainfall by now, but it instead has just had 18 per cent. This weekend’s forecast appears unlikely to skew the current trend.

The driest April on record across the UK came in 1938 when 14.1mm of rain was recorded, followed by April 1974 with half a centimetre more.

Despite the recent run of dry weather, which Mr McGivern of the Met Office labelled “remarkable”, the Environment Agency offered reassurance that the nation’s water reserves are in good health.

“Despite the recent dry weather causing some reductions to river flows in north west and south west England, most water companies have appropriate water reserves for this time of year,” an Environment Agency spokesperson said.

Additional reporting by PA