Britain experienced its hottest early April day in 80 years on Wednesday, April 8.
The temperature reached 26.6°C (79.9°F) in Kew Gardens, London.
According to the Met Office, this is the highest temperature recorded in the UK during the first half of April since 1946.
On April 4, 1964, the temperature reached 26.1 degrees Celsius.
The new temperature record surpassed the 2026 record of 24.8°C set just 24 hours earlier in Anglesey, Wales. London had a higher temperature than the summer tourist destinations of Ibiza, Rome and Marrakech.
Cardiff in Wales recorded 24.2°C, while Scotland and Northern Ireland recorded lower temperatures of 19.7°C and 15.4°C respectively.
But forecasters said the warmer weather won’t last long, as a new freeze will bring “much colder air temperatures.”
On Thursday, April 9, the country will be up to 9 degrees colder and rain is expected to extend towards the southeast.
Despite the highest temperature on record, the Met Office did not issue a heatwave warning as conditions did not meet the criteria for a heatwave, which includes three consecutive days above regional thresholds.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has asked bathers to look for shady areas and avoid the sun between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm, when there is the greatest penetration of UV rays.
