Met Office names UK areas facing 20C highs on Wednesday | Weather | News

The Met Office has issued a red pollen warning, identifying areas in the UK facing the hottest temperatures on Wednesday. As the hot weather spreads northward across the country, warm and sunny weather is expected to prevail in most of the country for the next few days.

High temperatures in the low to mid-20s are expected across England and Wales from today; Parts of north-west Wales will potentially reach temperatures of 25C. Wednesday is forecast to be even hotter, especially in central and south-east England, where temperatures could reach up to 26C. The Met Office said temperatures were well above average for early April, which are normally around the mid-teens.

While the warm weather will be felt predominantly in the south-east and east of England, highs in the lower 20s will also be seen in the West Midlands, south west and central England, north west England, Yorkshire and the Humber and Wales.

However, weather conditions are expected to be cloudier and cooler in Northern Ireland and northwestern Scotland on Wednesday, and some precipitation is expected to continue.

Met Office Chief Forecaster Paul Gundersen said: “We are seeing a brief but notable stretch of very warm weather in early April, with temperatures more associated with late spring or early summer.

“This could be the warmest April since 2020, a year many will remember due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

“However, this warmth will be short-lived, with a significant drop in temperatures and more unstable conditions developing later this week. Daytime temperatures in some areas could drop by around 10C between Wednesday and Thursday.”

Wednesday’s high temperatures coincide with a red warning for ‘very high’ pollen levels in the air across much of England and Wales in the coming days; Scotland and Northern Ireland are also seeing amber ‘highs’ before falling later in the week.

The Met Office’s pollen forecast shows high levels of birch and ash pollen across much of the UK on Wednesday, while there are red ‘very high’ warnings covering the whole of England and these levels are expected to remain high until Saturday; This means hay fever sufferers are likely to see symptoms triggered in the coming days.

Here are the 22 UK cities where temperatures are forecast to reach 20C on Wednesday, according to Met Office weather maps:

• Gloucester – 22C
• Salisbury-23C
• Exeter-21C
• Bristol – 22C

London and South East England