Warm weather predicted for this weekend

After one of the coldest and longest winters in recent years, forecasters are predicting Britain will bask in a taste of summer this weekend with the hottest temperatures of the year. Most parts of the UK will enjoy temperatures of up to 18C on Saturday and Sunday, not bikini and ice-cream hot but a relief from the heavy rain that blighted Easter, and higher than the seasonal average temperature of 12-13C. The hottest temperature of the year was 18C, in Norfolk on 18 March. Met Office forecaster Barry Gromett said: "It's going to be a very pleasant weekend with lots of fine summer weather and temperatures of up to 18C. It'll get a bit cooler on Sunday when an easterly breeze comes in and it'll remain chilly overnight but overall we'll see some nice warm weather." The Met Office has been criticised for getting its forecasts wrong – particularly the "barbecue summer" of 2009 which turned out to be a washout. But online forecaster Positive Weather Solutions , which correctly predicted last summer's rain and miserable temperatures, agrees with the Met that this weekend will be a warm one. Jonathan Powell, the group's senior weather forecaster, said: "Winter is over, that's really it. We can expect things to warm up nicely over the weekend and it'll remain settled at least until Wednesday." He said south-east Wales and parts of the Midlands could expect to see the highest temperatures, up to 19C. Scotland and Northern Ireland will also enjoy warm weather, although temperatures will be slightly lower. Positive Weather Solutions is also predicting that the weather will stay mild before ushering in a sizzling summer that could be one of the hottest on record. Late July and early August will offer the best weather for those taking UK holidays, according to Powell's predictions.