UK to bake in 24C heat as hottest April in six years hits Leeds

Despite warm weather and sunshine expected for Thursday and Friday, many of the UK's open spaces will be largely empty due to the coronavirus lockdown.

London is forecast to see the hottest temperatures on Thursday, with the mercury rising to 24C (75.2F).

Elsewhere, temperatures are forecast to reach 23C (73.4F) in Wales and south-west England, 18C (64.4F) in Scotland and 19C (66.2F) in Northern Ireland.

This would be well above the average high of 14C (57.2F) in April for England and the hottest the UK has been this month since 2014, the Met Office said.

Forecasters said the good weather is due to a large area of high pressure to the north of England making the days clear and bright.

Friday will see temperatures drop slightly to 23C in the capital, 22C (71.6F) in Wales and south-west England and 18C in Scotland.

Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said there was also a "low chance" of isolated showers in the west of the UK, but said most areas will remain dry.

Temperatures will hit 22C on Wednesday for many parts of the UK, while the east coast and Scotland will see the mercury fall to 12 to 14C (57.2F).

What will the weather be like in Leeds?

There is no end in sight to the sunny period in the coming days. Strong, cloud-free sunshine will hit Leeds on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Although it won't be quite as hot in Leeds as in some parts of the UK, temperatures should still hit 18 degrees C on Thursday, with temperatures reaching 17C on Saturday and Sunday.

Of course, that doesn't mean you should be heading out. Lockdown rules will still apply and everyone is being told to stay home wherever possible.

Although driving to a spot to exercise is 'likely to be reasonable' according to police guidelines, it still requires drivers to exercise for longer than the drive would take. So a trip to the beach is still very much out of the question.

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