BRITS will enjoy another day of sunny skies today, with temperatures expected to hit 29C ahead of the bank holiday.
The wave of warm weather could mean the hottest start to May since records began.
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Forecasters predict temperatures could even hit 30C in some parts of the country.
It comes after Brits flocked to parks and beaches yesterday to make the most of the hot weather.
One Scot was even snapped working from the park, sunbathing with a laptop on her legs.
Met Office meteorologist Michael Silverstone said: “If we reach 30C on Thursday, it will be the earliest date in May that the UK has seen 30C since our records began in 1860.”
The Met Office said temperatures reached 26.7C in Wisley, Surrey on Wednesday – making it the warmest day of the year so far.
The previous high was 24.5C in St James’s Park, London, on Monday, which reached 24.7C on Tuesday.
Despite the soaring temperatures, the Met Office has ruled out a heatwave this week.
Mr Silverstone said it looks “unlikely” the UK will reach a heatwave – which is defined as three consecutive days of temperatures exceeding the “heatwave threshold”, which varies across the country.
The threshold is 25C for most of the UK, rising to 28C in London.
“Admittedly, it could be close for a few places in the South, though, with temperatures either today or Friday only just failing to exceed the required threshold,” Mr Silverstone said.
The warm weather could also challenge the record for the highest April temperature in Wales, which is 26.2C.
But temperatures are expected to ease by Friday, and Saturday will bring cooler conditions of 14C to 18C across the UK.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has urged caution around open-water swimming after a 32 per cent increase in water-related incidents last month compared with the same period last year.
The five day forecast
The warm weather won’t last long enough to count as a heatwave.
Today:
Cloud and showers, locally heavy, will move southeast across Scotland and Northern Ireland into northern England. Turning drier and brighter, but cooler behind. Hot sunshine elsewhere, with heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms through the afternoon.
Friday:
Some showery rain across central areas at first, though dying out during the morning. Cooler with variable cloud and scattered showers in the north, whilst remaining warmer in the south.
Saturday-Monday:
Scattered showers in the south at times, and a few further north, though a lot of dry weather for many with some sunshine. Temperatures dropping, becoming rather cool in places.
Craig Carter, LFB assistant commissioner for prevention and protection, said: “Even when the sun is shining, water temperatures can be dangerously cold.
“Cold water shock can affect anyone, no matter how fit or experienced they are.
“It can lead to water inhalation and, in the worst cases, drowning. Be particularly careful near the water’s edge, it’s easy to slip and fall unexpectedly. And think twice before jumping into open water.”
It comes after Brits basked in sunshine during the hottest day of the year yesterday.
Temperatures hit 28C in London and the South East, and 25C in the Midlands.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland largely topped 20C too — on a par with holiday hotspots such as Ibiza and Benidorm.
But this made no difference to streets in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, which remain bedecked with unlit fairy lights four months after the festive period ended.
The volunteer-run Christmas light committee says its hasn’t got the money for a cherry picker to get them down.
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