Parts of the UK could be hotter than cities in Greece and Spain this week, as the country continues to bathe in spring sunshine.
Dry, sunny conditions could see temperatures rise as high as 21C (70C) on Thursday in the south of England, while Athens is set to peak at 17C (63F), the Met Office has said.
On the same day, South Wales and Somerset could reach 20C (68F) and may be hotter than Barcelona, where 16C (61F) is the expected high.
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Sky meteorologist Christopher England said for the South, "21C to 22C (72F) [are] quite likely in places on Thursday or Friday, and "23C (73F) is just about possible".
That means it's also "quite likely" this week will see the highest temperature of the year so far, beating the 21.3C recorded at both Northolt and Chertsey on 20 March, he added.
The dry sunny weather comes with a warning for allergy sufferers, though, as he predicted pollen counts "will reach moderate in much of the South, while air pollution spreading from the near continent will raise levels to moderate for many southern parts on Friday".
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The Met Office said the weather should stay dry and sunny across the country throughout the rest of the week and into the weekend.
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Spokesman Stephen Dixon predicted above-average temperatures were "set to continue for much of the week" and "possibly get as high as 21C on Thursday".
A warm and dry weekend is also in prospect, he said, as high pressure stays near or over the UK all week.
Mr Dixon said: "Through the middle of the week it will be a touch breezier in the South West, but it will still feel much warmer than average."
Although temperatures are likely to gradually drop on Saturday, they will still hover around the mid-teens and are likely to be higher than the average maximum temperature of 12C (54F) for the UK in April, forecasters said.
April's record high was a summery 29.4C (84F), recorded in Camden Square, London, in 1949, Met Office records show.
Many headed for the beach at the weekend to make the most of this year's unseasonal sunshine.
Katy Alston, who has been selling ice cream in Bognor Regis for more than 20 years, said business was booming at the weekend.
Ms Alston, 57, said the weather has been "absolutely wonderful. Everything has been so tough and this weekend it's like we have seen light again".
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She said the mild weather was "perfect timing" with Mother's Day on Sunday and added she is "really excited and feeling really positive (about the forecast)".
The dry spell should last into the weekend and early next week, though there is less certainty when forecasting much further into April, the Met Office said.
On Friday, the office said this week might see the highest temperature of the year so far.
