Weather: Londoners bask in 26C on hottest weekend of the year

Droves take to capital’s parks to enjoy May sun
William Mata11 May 2024

Londoners are enjoying a sunny afternoon with 2024's record temperatures forecast to hit 26C on Saturday.

After Friday's year-high of 25C and the rare sighting of the Northern Lights above the capital, the weather continues to be a spectacle.

Craig Snell, of the Met Office, said: “For most of us it will be a pleasant afternoon.

“Highs are easily reaching the 20s, especially in the south east. 

“Into the evening it will be clear skies for most - it will make another excellent opportunity to get a look at the Northern Lights.

“For all of us it will be a mild night.” 

The warm weather has allowed many Londoners the chance to bask in the heat, with sunbathing observed in the Royal Parks and beyond. 

“The sun is shining, the skies are clear, let’s get out and enjoy the summer,” the London Eye account tweeted. 

Sam Missingham added: “London is the best city in the whole world when the sun shines.”

The warmer weather, according to Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill, is a result of high pressure that has hung over the UK for the majority of this week.

The hot weather has, however, a downside and Londoners have been alerted to the danger of higher UV and pollen levels. 

Sunday is also set to be warm with highs of 25C.

The Met Office said the weather would change from Monday and return to “unsettled and showery” conditions, with rainfall “above average” in many parts of the country.

Temperatures will fall to an average of between 17C-18C in London from Tuesday.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in