Sun worshippers are set to sizzle in Suffolk and Essex today with high temperatures of 25C ahead of a scorching bank holiday Monday – which could break records.
Temperatures could reach 28C as people round off their three-day weekend, making it the hottest in 40 years.
The May bank holiday was introduced in 1978 and the temperature has never topped the 28C mark since then.
Bank Holiday Monday in 1999 was 23.6C, while the hottest bank holiday weekend ever was in 1995 when temperatures peaked on the Saturday at 28.6C.
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said East Anglia, along with the south-east and the east Midlands, will feel the heat most.
Mr Snell said: “It looks likely we’ll at least see our warmest Bank Holiday Monday on record on Monday.
“23.6C is what we’ve got to beat, and we’re forecasting highs of at least 26C, 27C, possibly 28C, so I think we can safely say that’s going to be beaten.
“But whether or not we will beat the record for the whole weekend put together, we’ll be close, but at the moment looking at it we may just come short.”
The average daytime high for the month of May is around 17C.
The record highest temperature for May is 32.8C which was recorded in 1922 and 1944.
Bookmaker Coral has cut the odds on this month seeing the hottest May day ever recorded to 6-4 from 2-1.
The spring heatwave will be welcome news to the region’s tourist spots and Southwold has just been named second best seaside town by Rough Guides.
The Suffolk coastal town, which is home to brewer Adnams, was pipped to the top spot by Tynemouth, in Tyne and Wear, in the travel guidebook’s top 30 list.
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