It's spring - but take an umbrella

The coldest April in decades is melting away into something resembling a normal spring, according to forecasters.

Highs of 22C (71.6F) were recorded in Gravesend, Kent, on Sunday, with sunshine for much of the south and east of the UK.

But temperatures may have felt cooler because of a south-westerly wind blowing across most of the country.

Sean Penston, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It's a much milder wind now coming from the south west and the Atlantic.

"When it was really cold, a week or two weeks ago, it was a north-easterly wind coming in from northern Europe and western Russia."

The coming week will be warm, but very unsettled for western parts of the country, including Northern Ireland and Scotland, the forecaster said.

He added: "There will be an average amount of rainfall for April, which is a wet month anyway. You might be able to leave your coat at home but there will be no harm in bringing an umbrella."

Temperatures in the South are set to remain in the mid-teens this week before dipping at the weekend, with those in the North and Scotland slightly below.

Dan Williams, of the Met Office, said: "The late part of April and early May will be fairly typical for the time of year, with temperatures broadly near average. I imagine ordinary conditions will be quite welcome after the second coldest March on record, after 1962."

The Met Office recorded the coldest April minimum temperature for 96 years this month, will a low of minus 11.2C (11.84F) in Braemar, Scotland. Cold snaps like those experienced at the start of the month are not predicted to return for the foreseeable future, Mr Williams added.