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The balmy weather will remain for much of the week ahead forecasters have said[DARREN COOL]

London was the hottest part of the country, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 20.4C at St James's Park at 1pm, according to the Met Office.

This made the capital hotter than Madrid where temperatures only topped 17C, the Balearic Islands -18C and the French Riviera 16C-17C, weather forecaster MeteoGroup said.

Other parts of the south east of England will see the best of the conditions today, reaching between 17C and 19C, meaning plenty of time in the sun for some on the first day of British Summer Time (BST).

The balmy weather will remain for much of the week ahead, according to Met Office meteorologist Eleanor Crompton.

"It will be warm but temperatures may be a down a couple of degrees. We'll see more cloud and hazy sunshine around with temperatures in the late teens from Monday to Wednesday."

People enjoying the sun on Brighton beach [DARREN COOL]

Ms Crompton added: "There is a chance of some thundery showers coming up in western and central areas tonight, spreading to the north. It's the usual case of warm weather followed by the increased risk of showers."

The weather is being driven by hot air currently over the Low Countries, according to senior forecaster at MeteoGroup, Rachel Vince. Belgium and the Netherlands are forecast to have temperatures in the mid-20s today.

The springtime temperatures are also good news for Britain's plants and animals.

Originally posted here:
Temperatures soar higher than Spain as Britain set for heatwave