UK hits 27°C Friday, hottest day of year so far

Parts of the United Kingdom, including London and East Anglia, are forecast to reach temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius on Friday, making it the hottest day of the year so far and warmer than Honolulu, Hawaii, where highs of 26 degrees Celsius are expected, according to the Met Office.

The warm spell results from humid air moving in from the south, bringing the best conditions to eastern and southeastern areas with plenty of sunshine. Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said, "We've got some very warm, humid air coming up from the south. That means we will see some very warm weather, particularly in the east and the South East, because there we'll see the best of the sunshine. Unfortunately, it doesn't mean everybody's going to get a warm, dry, beautiful day."

Cloud cover lingering over central regions, from Scotland through the Pennines and into the Midlands, raises the risk of heavy downpours and isolated thunder on Friday, especially in the Midlands. Temperatures in London and the South East will peak about 10 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average of 15 to 17 degrees Celsius. In Cardiff, highs could exceed those in Athens by 5 degrees Celsius, where 14 degrees...