Hottest day of year so far but winter set to bite back

High of 20C but warning of another Beast from East on way

- ALEXANDER BUTLER

The UK recorded the warmest day of the year yesterday but temperatures are set to plummet to single figures into next week, the Met Office said.

The forecaster confirmed a record 19.7C was hit in Crosby, Merseyside, beating Saturday’s peak of 19.1C in Cumbria. The average UK daytime maximum temperature in March is 9.2C – an average that takes in all of the country across the whole month.

However, the unusually warm and sunny weather has seen parts of the UK with higher temperatures than some southern European holiday destinations, including the Costa del Sol and the Balearic Islands.

Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said: “It’s been widely warm across the east and west, and it’s been pleasant in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It’s been fairly decent and Sunday was the warmest day of 2025 so far.”