Today is set to be the hottest day of the year in Suffolk so far with temperatures potentially reaching 28C - warmer than parts of Europe.

Yesterday temperatures soared to 25.6C in Suffolk, recorded at Santon Downham, but forecasters at Weatherquest say it will be even hotter today with highs of 27C or 28C easily being reached.

This is even higher than forecasts for Palermo in Sicily (21C) and Marseille in France (26°C).

As of 10am today Suffolk was already basking in warmth of more than 24C.

The Met Office said the highest temperature recorded yesterday across the country was at Heathrow in west London, which saw a reading of 27.6C at 2.27pm.

Met Office meteorologist Emma Smith said the hot weather is the result of the jet stream moving north and high pressure and heat coming from the continent in the south.

She said on Saturday: "For this time of the year it should be 19 or 20C in London and in East Anglia it should be 18 or 19C, where we could see the hottest temperatures tomorrow.

"The last time we had 28C was August last year. It's hot for the time of year."

Weatherquest forecaster Adam Dury said this time last year average temperatures across the region were 22-24C, which is similar to most of Suffolk this weekend.

Today, there is a chance of showers in the west of the county, he said, but they are unlikely to be thundery.

Moving into next week, it will be a little cooler, with potentially highs in the low 20s or high teens, with night-time temperatures of 9/10C.

"There may be a few showers around, it may be more unsettled than usual, but it will still be warm," he said.

And are we set for a long, hot summer like last year?

Mr Dury doesn't think so, but he did say it could still be drier and slightly warmer than average.

Elmer's Big Parade Suffolk that launches on June 15 is one of the many events taking place in the county for families to enjoy this summer.

June 1 is treated by weather experts as the meteorological first day of the UK summer.