Over 30 counties could be hit by a burst of unusually warm weather at the end of April, with maps showing temperatures climbing as high as 23C across parts of England and Wales. New WXCharts maps, based on ECMWF data for April 29 from 6pm, suggest a huge swathe of the country could bask in temperatures above 20C as warmer air surges northwards.

The hottest conditions are expected across southern and eastern England, with parts of East Anglia, the South East and the Midlands potentially reaching 22C or 23C. Areas around London, Essex, Kent, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire appear likely to be among the warmest spots in the UK. Temperatures of 23C are shown across parts of Essex, Kent, Suffolk and east London, while large areas of the Midlands and southern England could see 20C to 22C. In total, around 32 counties could see temperatures of 20C or higher.

The maps show temperatures of around 21C to 22C stretching from the south coast into the Home Counties and East Anglia.

London is expected to see highs of around 22C, with nearby counties including Surrey, Berkshire and Hertfordshire also potentially reaching the low twenties.

Further west, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset could climb to between 18C and 20C, while parts of South Wales may see temperatures around 19C.

Northern England is expected to be slightly cooler, although parts of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire could still see highs of between 17C and 19C.

Scotland and Northern Ireland are forecast to remain much cooler, with temperatures largely ranging from 11C to 15C. The Highlands may struggle to get above 10C, while some wetter conditions are possible across western Scotland.

Another weather map showing temperature anomalies suggests much of England could be between 8C and 12C above the seasonal average for late April.

The strongest warmth anomalies are shown across East Anglia, the South East and central England, where deep orange and red colours cover much of the country.

Despite the warm spell, some scattered showers are still possible across parts of Scotland, northern England and isolated central areas, according to the rainfall map.

However, much of southern England, Wales and East Anglia looks likely to remain dry and settled under higher pressure.

If the forecast verifies, temperatures in some areas could rival those usually seen in June rather than April.