Britain will finally feel spring as April scorcher set to see temperatures soar to 21C

April will finally bring Britain spring sunshine, with forecasters predicting temperatures to rise towards 20C in the last half of the month. The last few weeks have seen some of the brightest and warmest days of 2023 so far, with the mercury consistently hovering in the mid-teens. The next few will decide the outlook for summer, with one weather forecaster branding mid to late April a "pivotal" period.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Jim Dale, a weather forecaster at British Weather Services, said that the second half of April would start "decently warm".

Mr Dale said that, while forecasts are less certain around this point, temperatures could reach "20C plus" over the next two weeks.

He added that the second half of the month would pan out "better than the first".

Brian Gaze, a forecaster with the Weather Outlook, concurred, saying that computer models suggest high pressure could "bring settled and warmer weather to the UK at times during the second half of April".

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He said: "When looking more than a few days ahead it usually isn't possible to be confident about the details, but I wouldn't be surprised if 21C (70F) is reached in southern Britain.

"After a very wet March and a mediocre start to April, the spring could be given a kick-start."

Mr Dale said that the warmer weather will likely stick to the southeast.

He said the area would receive the "lion's share" of the more pleasant conditions.

Weather in the latter half of April could indicate what is on the horizon for the coming summer, with the month usually providing both "positives and negatives", Mr Dale said.

In this sense, he added, the next few weeks could decide how the weather looks this summer.

He said Easter is a "very pivotal time of the year" that could draw a "line in the sand".

A warm, bright few weeks ahead will mark the month out in stark comparison to March.

March 2023 has gone down as one of the wettest on record, according to the Met Office.

Meteorologists said the amount of rain recorded exceeded levels not seen in 40 years, with Wales experiencing 206.5mm of rain, England 119.2mm, Northern Ireland 151.2mm, and Scotland 130.1mm.

The levels were double the long-term averages for England and Wales and 74 percent more than Northern Ireland's.

While Scotland's was just four percent more, Dr Mark McCarthy said the rainfall was significant enough for the month to be remembered as "dull and wet" for the country.