Temperatures could hit 29C this week

The UK is braced for its warmest spell of the year so far, with temperatures possibly climbing as high as 29C.

According to the Met Office, temperatures between 24C (75.2F) and 25C (77F) are expected later today, and will rise each day - peaking by Wednesday or Thursday. The forecaster said that at its hottest, conditions will reach 28C (82.4F) with a small chance of hitting 29C (84.2F).

Widespread sunshine is also expected across the country, with only northern Scotland set for more seasonable rainfall. See the latest weather forecast where you are The climbing temperatures mean we could see the hottest days of the year so far recorded day after day, Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said.

"We're certainly on track to see the warmest spell of the year so far," he said, adding that temperatures should fall overnight to the low teens, so "we shouldn't suffer too much with warm nights". Temperatures 'markedly high' for April The meteorologist added the sunny spell is unseasonable for this time of year, with temperatures "markedly higher" than what they should be for this time of year.

Conditions for the end of April usually see 12C (53.6F) in the north and 16C (60.8F) in the south. As a result of the hot spell, some areas could be more than 10C hotter than average.

The last time that 25C (77F) was reached in April was during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The highest temperature ever recorded in April was 29.4C (85F), seen at Camden Square in London on 16 April 1949.

While conditions aren't expected to climb quite as high, Met Office chief forecaster Matthew Lehnert said "some locations may nudge local records". Mr Snell added that conditions will be close to the Met Office's heatwave threshold - at 25C for most of the UK, and peaking at 28C in London - but added there is not likely to be a widespread one.

Read more from Sky News:Leeds suspect 'with crossbow and firearm' in critical conditionTrump's message to Putin on UkraineSky News investigates UK's 'worst ambulance service' After temperatures peak later in the week, the Met Office's forecast says there is a "low risk of some heavy showers or thunderstorms developing later Thursday and into Friday". A return to the mean for the middle of spring is then expected, according to the agency's long-range forecast through to 11 May..