Britain is set to bask in glorious sunshine as the ‘remarkably dry’ April weather continues with highs of almost 20C expected today.

Thousands will descend on beaches and parks in anticipation of a dry and bright day ahead, with the vast majority of the UK due to enjoy prolonged sunny spells after a frosty start.

The mercury is expected to hit around 19C in Wales with temperatures hovering around the mid-teens in western, central and southern areas.

However, a breeze will see cooler conditions in the east and north east, pushing the heat down to 12C in Hull and 10C in Newcastle, according to the Met Office.

Temperatures will dip tonight but Sunday will bring more widespread sunshine.

Western areas will once again fare better with highs of up to 17C – while easterly winds are predicted to pull in cloud across Scotland, northern, central and eastern areas tomorrow afternoon.

It comes during one of the driest April’s on record, with less than a fifth of average rainfall.

The forecast is good news for pub landlords and restaurant owners who are currently serving customers outside only, in line with coronavirus restrictions.

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Indoor dining and drinking is set to resume on May 17 at the earliest, according to Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown.

Met Office meteorologist, Aidan McGivern, said of this weekend’s weather: ‘The remarkably dry April weather continues this weekend and it will be mostly sunny.

‘But not entirely sunny by Sunday, I think there will be a bit more cloud.

‘Temperatures on the whole on Sunday are looking a little bit less cold compared to Saturday morning.

‘As we start of Sunday, a dry and bright start for many but cloudier skies on the whole for North Sea coasts.

‘The further west you are, the better chance it will stay sunny through Sunday.’

There has been an average of 12.8mm of rain up to Friday, April 22 – significantly lower than the expected average of 72.53mm.

A typical April would have had 70% of rainfall by now – but instead, has yielded just 18%.

The driest April on record across the UK saw 14.1mm of rain recorded in 1938, followed by April 1974 when 14.6mm of rain fell.

Despite the run of dry weather, the nation’s water reserves remain in a good position.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: ‘Despite the recent dry weather causing some reductions to river flows in north west and south west England, most water companies have appropriate water reserves for this time of year.’

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