UK weather: Met Office issues update on warm spell after ‘wettest March on record’

Summer is set to begin soon as Met Office predicts sunny spells

A pedestrian wearing a face covering shelters from the rain in central London (AFP/Getty )

The UK is set to experience a warm spell after a rainy weekend, following the wettest March in 40 years, according to the Met Office.

On Friday, most of the UK will see plenty of sunshine after a chilly, in places frosty, start, although lighter winds should make the weather feel reasonably pleasant by afternoon.

The coming days will see sunny spells, especially on Friday, with most of the country experiencing plenty of sunshine after a chilly start.

Northern Ireland and parts of western Scotland will be cloudier and breezier.

This comes after heavy rains in southern parts of the UK, with Storm Mathis bringing torrential downpours and power outages to Cornwall last week.

The weather has been gloomy for most of last month as England this year recorded the wettest March in 42 years, according to early provisional Met Office statistics including data up to 30 March.

Despite this, temperatures are expected to remain close to average, and many areas are expected to see mostly fine and dry weather, with sunny spells becoming increasingly common with time.

While some areas in the northwest of the UK may still experience drizzle on Tuesday with strong winds in the far, elsewhere, conditions are expected to be dry with plenty of sunshine and light winds. This will help temperatures recover towards the early-April average.

According to the Met Office’s long-range forecast, some frosty nights are expected this week, but the temperature will recover by the weekend as the mercury reaches above 15C and in some places, close to 20C.

By mid-April, there is a chance of a period of more unsettled conditions, which may bring spells of wetter and windier weather more widely.

However, these may drop quickly under any clear skies after dark, leaving scope for some overnight frosts, the forecaster says.