Thursday has become the hottest day of the year in the UK so far as temperatures topped 20C.
The Met Office said images showed “plenty of blue skies across the UK, although high cloud in the west is making the sunshine hazy here” and “in the sunshine across the south, temperatures have already reached 20C in a few spots”.
A temperature of 20.6C was recorded in Northolt, west London, beating the top figure this year of 19.7C in Crosby, Merseyside, on 9 March.
The high coincides with the spring equinox on Thursday, which has seen generally dry and fine weather with plenty of sunny spells.
The highest recorded UK spring equinox temperature was 21.5C in 1972.
Meteorological spring always starts on 1 March while astronomical spring, or the equinox, begins around 20 March each year.
The other equinox is in September and both mark the sun crossing the equator, rather than being at an angle. Day and night are therefore about the same length.
The warm weather has, however, brought warnings of pollution and signs that people who are allergic to birch pollen may have tough times ahead.
An air pollution alert has been issued for London, the first this year, after forecasters at Imperial College warned of a rise in particulate pollutants from mainland Europe.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, posted on X: “I urge Londoners to look after themselves and protect those with conditions such as asthma. This includes refraining from engine idling and burning wood or garden waste.”
The Met Office’s UK pollen forecast manager, Yolanda Clewlow, said: “The pollen season has already started and people with a sensitivity to tree pollen may have noticed the early tree species in the air.
“For those who are allergic to birch pollen, the season for this species is likely to be high, largely due to the conditions last spring and summer when pollen was forming on some trees.”
Source: theguardian.com
