Warm weather on the way, but sun stays away

After the coldest winter for more than a generation and a May that has seen temperatures drop to below freezing on occasions , the UK is set to be rewarded with a week of warmth. Today could see temperatures reach 22C in east and south-east England, and by the end of the week parts of the country could be sweltering in 26C heat, according to the Met Office. As usual however, there is a downside, with the warm temperatures not necessarily being matched with glorious sunshine. "In the next couple of days we should notice a considerable difference in temperatures compared to the last two weeks," said Helen Chivers, forecaster at the Met Office. "Temperatures should be up to 21C or 22C in east and south-east England, and by Friday and Saturday 25C or possibly 26C, while pretty much the whole of country should have temperatures in the low 20s. It's only the far north of England and parts of Scotland that will have temperatures slightly lower." Although the UK will be warm, it may be a little premature to reach for the Speedos. Chivers said: "The drawback is that it's not that sunny. There's a lot of cloud spreading in from west now, and it will stay with us for much of rest of week. The sun will break through from time to time, but it won't be as sunny as the last couple of weeks." The warm weather will "certainly" last until the end of the weekend, but there is a chance of some areas being swamped by a heavy downpour – although Chivers said the UK would mostly remain dry. Temperatures are expected to return to normal by the start of next week, meaning readings in the high teens rather than mid-20s, as a north-westerly wind takes over from the current southerly breeze. North-westerly gusts have been responsible for bringing volcanic ash over UK airspace, but Chivers said any potential closures would depend on a range of factors. On a positive note, she said the dry weather of the last two weeks should continue for the rest of the month. Met Office figures for the first half of May show it has been remarkably rain-free so far, with only 20mm of rain falling across the UK so far – just 30% of the monthly average. Chivers said forecasters would normally expect around 50% of the monthly average rainfall by this stage of the month. "If we keep this high pressure then May should be a dry month," she said.