London weather: Capital to bask in spring sunshine as weekend temperatures soar to 20C
London will bask in glorious sunshine over the weekend as other parts of the UK are hit by Storm Kathleen.
Picnics and barbecues could be on the agenda as temperatures in the capital soar to 20C on Saturday.
Met Office forecasters predict a warm Saturday filled with numerous sunny spells.
However, as clouds gather from the west towards evening, there's a slight chance of showers.
Britain will be hit with two storms ahead of what is expected to be the warmest day of the year - but London will avoid the worst of the downpours.
The UK is set to be hit with unsettled weather and showers on Friday as part of an area of low pressure dubbed Storm Olivia by the Portuguese weather service Ipma.
Storm Kathleen, named by Ireland’s Met Éireann, will move then towards the UK and Ireland from the southwest on Saturday, bringing unseasonably strong winds to Ireland and western parts of the UK.
Gusts of up to 70mph could hit exposed areas along the English and Scottish west coast on Saturday as Storm Kathleen batters the UK.
Elsewhere, winds could reach up to 50mph, the Met Office has said.
The forecaster has also said coastal areas can expect to see large waves.
A Met Office spokesperson said that the tail-end of Storm Olivia was mainly expected to bring some rain throughout Friday, while on Saturday, Storm Kathleen is expected to bring much greater disruption.
The unsettled weather means a band of heavy rain will move northwards across the UK overnight on Thursday, bringing a temporary snow risk for higher parts of Scotland, while a yellow rain warning is in place until 9am on Friday in central parts of Scotland.
Met Office officials put a yellow warning for wind in place from 8am-10pm on Saturday for parts of western Britain due to Storm Kathleen - but London and the South East are instead expected to witness the warmest day of the year.
Instead, temperatures could hit as high as 20C in the capital, which would make it the warmest day of 2024 so far.
On March 20, the temperature reached 18.8C at Charlwood in Surrey, which remains the highest so far this year for England.
Deputy Chief Meteorologist Christoph Almond said: “Gusts of 50 mph are expected quite widely on Saturday, while some exposed spots, particularly on the coast, will see 60 to 70 mph gusts with large waves also likely.”
However, for parts of the country further inland, such as London, the low pressure will also be drawing up unseasonably warm air from Iberia, meaning balmy temperatures for the time of year.
The locations likely to see the highest temperatures will be in parts of East Anglia and Southeast England where 21C or 22C could occur briefly on Saturday, said the Met Office.
Storm Olivia was named by the Portuguese forecasters because of the impact of the Azores, which is Portuguese territory, while Storm Kathleen is officially the 11th named storm of this storm season.
Looking further afield into next week, the current unsettled spell of weather is likely to continue through to mid-April “with little sign of any dramatic change,” said the Met Office.
“All areas can expect to see showers or longer spells of rain at times, with western hills likely to see the largest rainfall totals. Likewise, further windy spells are expected at times,” it added.
However, the confidence in the forecast isn’t as high, said Met Office officials, meaning it could change.