The two-day burst of warm spring weather the UK has enjoyed this week is set to end as rain and gales arrive in time for the weekend.

The UK eperienced one of its warmest April days on record on Wednesday, when 26.6C (79.9F) was recorded at Kew Gardens, southwest London.

It was the hottest day of 2026 so far, the Met Office said, and was also the second-hottest day ever recorded in the first half of April.

On Tuesday, the warmest 7 April ever was recorded in Mona on the island of Anglesey in Wales, when 24.8C was reached.

It was also hotter than some holiday hot spots, including Ibiza and Rome.

But forecasters say cool westerly winds are set to sweep away the warmth.

Parts of southeast England are expected to reach highs of 22C on Thursday, but in other areas temperatures are likely to return to around – or even below – the seasonal norm of 10-14C.

Rain will hit many areas over the next few days, with gales in places and the chance of snow over the highest ground in Scotland, according to forecaster Ben Rich.

Westerly winds will bring cooler air from the Atlantic, and outbreaks of rain will move in from the west, which could be wintry over hills and mountains in Scotland, potentially with hail and thunder.

Parts of eastern and southeastern England will remain mostly dry.

On Thursday night, some areas will fall below freezing, especially in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Some areas will have a frosty start on Friday morning.

Northern Ireland will have heavy rain on Friday afternoon, Mr Rich said, and wind gusts of 50-70mph will hit some coasts of Northern Ireland and western Scotland.

Over the weekend gales are possible in some northern and western parts, while rain will fall in most areas at times but with lengthy dry and bright spells in between, especially towards the south and east of the UK.

This week’s temperatures have been out of the ordinary, in some cases more than 10C (18F) above the seasonal average, thanks to southerly winds from continental Europe, Mr Rich said.

Climate change may also have played a part, making an already warm spell even warmer than it might have been in a pre-industrial world, he added.

After a cool start to next week, temperatures are expected to climb a little.