The hottest day of the year for some ... as storms on the way for other parts of the UK

Parts of the UK were today enjoying the hottest day of the year so far while other parts of the country were bracing for flash floods.

Forecasters said thunderstorms that hit south Wales overnight were now travelling to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Heavy rain is also expected in parts of Scotland with hail storms also predicted there and in the north-east of England.

Further south, temperatures have been steadily rising with the south-east and London experiencing highs of 27C.

Scroll down for more...

Kirsty Small basked in the warm sunshine at Tynemouth Beach

Brendan Jones, forecaster with MeteoGroup UK said: "I think some areas will see the highest temperatures of the year so far.

He said warm air coming from the Mediterranean was the cause of the good weather - but added it came at the expense of the western areas of the UK.

Mr Jones said: "The very worst weather we get in the UK also tends to be at times like this.

"Hail is not uncommon for this time of year as well. There is a misconception it is wintry weather, but in the increased heat, clouds grow very tall very quickly. In the US, they get hailstones the size of cricket balls, if not bigger."

"If the front was sitting further west, clear of the UK, everyone would be enjoying good weather.

But the good news is it's not all doom and gloom for areas hit by storms as the front is expected to move back west by tomorrow or Monday, producing drier weather across the UK.

Scroll down for more...

Sun-worshippers flocked to Brighton Beach in droves as the mercury soared

Children bubbled over with excitement at the higher than normal temperatures on London's south bank today

And Mr Jones said early indications were that this summer will not be a repeat of last year's washout.

"All we can say is that it can only get better from last year," he said. "There will be flash floods, but we get them every year."

Although the sunshine enjoyed by much of the UK over the last few days could be gone by the middle of next week, the warm temperatures are predicted to last until next weekend.

The average maximum daily temperature for the first half of May is around 16c (61f) and this week's warm spell has underlined the unpredictability of our spring weather.

In fact it is so unusually warm that spring now arrives two weeks earlier than it did in the 1970s, a major study of British birds has shown.

The milder winters and warmer springs of the past few decades have led to great tits starting to lay their eggs 14 days earlier.

The findings, based on a 47-year study, adds to evidence that our seasons are shifting.

Scroll down for more...

Brighton belles: Beach-goers made the most of today's very warm weather

Dozens of species of plants, birds, mammals and amphibians are responding to climate change by changing their behaviour.

The study, published today in the journal Science, looked at detailed reports of great tits living in the ancient Wytham Woods near Oxford going back to 1961.

The birds feed their young on winter moth caterpillars. The caterpillars live on oak trees and appear when the trees begin to produce leaves each spring.

As temperatures have warmed up, the trees have burst into life earlier and earlier each year.

That has brought forward the arrival of caterpillars and forced the birds to adapt.

Print this article

Read later

Email to a friend

Share this article: