The UK is set to be hotter than Athens on Friday, but not before another bout of British rain will lash the country this week.
Rain and possible thunderstorms will strike the UK before temperatures hit highs of 26C in London.
Tuesday will bring early rain that will be replaced by ‘a day of sunshine and frequent showers’, the Met Office has confirmed.
Those showers will be heavy at times, with hail and thunder possible and temperatures around the mid teens.
Showers will continue into Tuesday evening before gradually easing overnight.
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Wednesday will be largely cloudy but rain will ease up, with temperatures climbing towards 20C.
Craig Snell, forecaster at the Met Office, said: ‘Temperatures at the start of the week are still a little subdued for the time of the year; as we head towards the weekend, we are expecting to see a change.’
The UK is set to enjoy temperatures in the low-to-mid-20s in the run up to the bank holiday da off on Monday.
The Met Office predicts there will be highs of 23C in Manchester, 26C in London and 20C in Cardiff.
Highs of 23C are expected on Saturday, matched with temperatures as warm as 24C on Sunday and Monday.
Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said: ‘From Thursday onwards, temperatures could rise above average, approaching 20C for some across southern areas.
‘We could be closer to the mid-20s, possibly, for some areas, in the South East, by the bank holiday weekend.’
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