That's more like August! Sunbathers pack the beach with mercury set to soar to 78F this week in welcome return of warm weather
Sunbathers packed Britain's beaches today as the warm weather finally returned after a month of grey skies and rain.
Parts of the country will bask in 78F temperatures and periods of sunshine this week due to 'dominating' levels of high pressure, according to the Met Office.
It comes after some areas have seen wetter than usual weather for August - in what has been a changeable month for many.
Sarah Kent, a Met Office forecaster, said: 'High pressure is dominating this week bringing mostly settled conditions with variable amounts of cloud.
'However, there will be a north-easterly breeze coming in from the North Sea making it feel colder for some regions especially later on in the week.
'Where there is sun, particularly on Wednesday, temperatures could reach highs of 24C (75F) in England and Wales, while western areas in Scotland and Northern Ireland could be up to 26C (78F).
'This all depends on the amount of cloud some regions see.'
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Sunbathers packed Britain's beaches today as the warm weather finally returned after a month of grey skies and rain
People enjoy the warm weather during the summer holidays on the beach in Bournemouth, Dorset, during an expected long spell of hot weather this week
A couple sunbathing outside a seafront beach hut as they enjoy an afternoon of scorching hot sunshine at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset
People out punting on the river Cam in Cambridge as the weather warms up for the Bank holiday weekend
An RNLI Lifeguard keeps watch as holidaymakers and sunbathers cool off in the sea at the packed beach as they enjoy an afternoon of scorching hot sunshine at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset
A couple sunbathing outside a seafront beach hut as they enjoy an afternoon of scorching hot sunshine at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset
People out punting on the river Cam in Cambridge as the weather warms up for the Bank holiday weekend
Crowds enjoying the good weather at Ullswater in the Lake District while visitors to Cumbria are being asked to take a lateral flow test before they travel to the county
People enjoy the warm weather during the summer holidays on the beach in Bournemouth, Dorset, during an expected long spell of hot weather this week
People out punting on the river Cam in Cambridge as the weather warms up for the Bank holiday weekend
Crowds enjoying the good weather at Ullswater in the Lake District while visitors to Cumbria are being asked to take a lateral flow test before they travel to the county
UV and pollen levels will also be high across parts of England and Wales over the coming days.
Ms Kent said that after Wednesday, the temperature will become cooler as a cold front moves in.
She went on to say: 'It's not going to be wall-to-wall warm weather all week, that north-easterly wind will continue to peg back any chances of the temperature going too high.'
It comes after parts of the UK have seen large amounts of rainfall for the time of year, including the City of London, which has experienced its ninth wettest August on record.
However, Ms Kent said this does not represent the country as a whole- concluding that it's been the seventh warmest August on record.
She added: 'This month has pretty much swung back and forth for many, areas in Scotland have been drier than usual, while areas in the south-east have, of course, seen plenty of torrential downpours.
'It hasn't been so bad, the country has generally seen 72% of its average rainfall for the month so far, which is pretty much where you want to be as we come to the end of August.'