Will this May bank holiday be the hottest ever?

A weekend of barbecues, beaches and sunbathing beckons, with temperatures expected to soar across much of Britain over the May bank holiday.

The south of England is expected to experience the highest temperatures - but will it be the hottest bank holiday ever?

The previous UK record for late May was 32.8C, recorded in 1944 in Horsham, Sussex, reports Metro.

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Forecasting the outlook for the next few days, Martin Young, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Although temperatures will rise into the mid to high 20s for southern and central parts of England and Wales, with a small chance of temperatures pushing 30C, it looks unlikely that we will see the warmest temperature records broken.

“However, there is a 50/50 chance we may see the warmest day of the year so far at some point towards the end of the weekend.”

Exacta Weather’s James Madden is also optimistic, saying: “Towards the end of the week and into the bank holiday weekend we expect a massive surge in temperatures across the country.

“We could see highs of 30C or more at the peak of this warm weather next week, and a further record-breaking Bank Holiday is looking plausible for the second time this month.”

The top temperature in the UK so far this year is 29.1C, recorded in St James’s Park, in London, on 19 April.