The promised warm weather certainly didn’t disappoint this week as highs soared 14C above the seasonal average to 26.6C – heat that forecasters called “exceptional”.
But the hottest day of the year so far will soon become a warm memory, as cold Atlantic air is already starting to flood in from the northwest. Why are the temperatures dropping?
Once again the answer, in large part, is down to wind direction.
The soaring highs of Wednesday were made possible by a warm southeasterly wind tapping into the pool of warm air sitting across the near continent.
That warm air, added to plenty of sunshine, boosted temperatures far in excess of the average for early April.
But the winds are now veering northwesterly which will cut off that feed of warm European air and instead draw in something much colder from the north Atlantic.
In that colder air, temperatures will be some 10 degrees cooler and much closer to the seasonal average. In comparison to the midweek heat it will certainly feel like a shock to the system.
Will it get colder for everyone?
Yes eventually, but because of the direction of that wind, the colder air will take longest to reach the sheltered far southeastern parts of England.
It will still be cooler here on Thursday than it was on Wednesday, and less sunny too, but even so, highs of 20C or so are still likely. How cold could it get?
Temperatures will fall away rapidly on Thursday night leading to the risk of a widespread frost.
By Friday, daytime temperatures will likely only reach into the high single or low double figures.
There is also the chance of wintry showers across the high ground of Scotland over the next few days.
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How unusual is this temperature swing?
A high of 26.5C in early April is exceptional – but huge temperature swings in April are not.
In fact, perhaps more than any other, it’s a month known for extremes with great leaps in temperature within just a few days and, interestingly, one of the largest diurnal range’s (the difference between day and time time temperatures) of the year.
When will it feel warm again?
After the last of the warm air has been pushed away from the southeast by the end of Thursday, it’s unlikely to feel properly warm again until after the weekend at least.
Keep watching the wind direction, when it backs south or southeasterly, it’s time to dig out the shorts and t-shirt again.
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