UK weather: Britain could see hottest day of the year next week as temperatures rocket to 22C

Mostly dry conditions are anticipated, with strong sunshine.

While the UK may experience its warmest weather of the year so far, there is uncertainty about how hot it will get and how long it will last.

On Saturday, high pressure will be positioned to the south of the UK, while a low-pressure system moves across northern areas.

As a result, clouds and rain will affect Scotland and Northern Ireland, potentially disrupting the view of the partial solar eclipse.

The rain will then spread into Wales, northern, and western England by the afternoon.

The best sunshine will be in the south-east of England and East Anglia.

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British Summer Time (BST) begins on Sunday as the clocks go forward, and high pressure will start to strengthen.

Most regions will remain dry with patchy clouds and sunny spells.

Temperatures will rise slightly, reaching highs of 18C in parts of southern and eastern England.

As the high pressure moves north-eastwards on Monday and Tuesday, the wind will change from westerly to south-easterly.

This will bring an influx of warm air from the European continent which will clear the clouds, allowing for blue skies and sunshine.

Temperatures will go up and are expected to be at their highest on Wednesday or Thursday.

Previously, the hottest day of the year was recorded on March 20 - the spring equinox.

Areas of London and Surrey saw highs of 21.3C during the day.

However, dry weather means higher pollen count levels, which may hit hay-fever sufferers hard.