Met Office forecasts warmest weather of the year so far in Northumberland

The Met Office is forecasting a fine spell of weather over the coming days with rising temperatures.

While the south east of the country will get the warmest weather, the thermometer in the North East is expected to reach 23-24C.

But will it last until the bank holiday weekend?

Here’s the Met Office forecast for the North East over the next few days.

Tuesday:

A fine day ahead on Tuesday, with high cloud breaking at times to give plenty of sunny spells through the day. Light winds, and feeling warm or very warm. Maximum temperature 24 °C.

Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:

Fine and dry conditions continue through the week with plenty of sunshine. Friday perhaps a cloudier day with the odd spot of light rain around. Feeling warm or very warm.

Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: “Thursday looks set to be the warmest day of the week, with temperatures climbing notably above the seasonal average. Overnight temperatures will also be very high in places.

"It’s possible national and station records for daytime and overnight temperatures may be broken, but it’s unclear at this point whether heatwave criteria will be reached in some of the lower category areas which require temperatures to reach 25°C or above for three consecutive days. The far north will always see cooler conditions, with these more seasonal temperatures likely spreading erratically south later in the week.”

Whilst you may be tempted to head to the coast for a paddle or swim, bear in mind that the sea is still pretty cold at this time of year.

Gareth Morrison, Head of Water Safety for the RNLI said: "With the warm weather forecast this week, we want to remind everyone to stay safe when visiting the coast. Whilst the air temperature will be high, water temperature remain dangerously cold."

Temperatures will start to fall from Friday, with the chance of some showers and thunderstorms developing, most likely in the south/southwest later on Thursday or overnight. There is then some uncertainty in the weather as we move towards the weekend, as an area of low pressure tries to move up from the south.