Spring Equinox on Thursday was the warmest day of 2025 and could reach temperatures “well above average,” the Met Office said.
The highest recorded temperature on Wednesday was 18.7c in the North Salt in West London. Meteorologist Simon Partridge at Met Office said Thursdays are generally dry and fine with lots of sunny spells, adding, “That's going to be a little warmer too.”
He states: “The highest temperatures are expected in the region from London to Home County to South Midlands. Here, 19c or 20c is likely to be widely seen, with one or two spots likely to reach 21c.”
The expected temperature rise coincides with Spring Equinox, the first day of astronomical spring. Some UK temperatures can be higher than Barcelona in Spain or Athens in Greece. There, highs of 15c and 12c are predicted, respectively.
The UK's finest recorded 1972 spring temperature was 21.5c, and Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said it is unlikely that the 2025 high temperatures will exceed that.
This year, so far, it peaked at 19.7c at Crosby, Merseyside on March 9th. The damp weather will move on Friday and will be more volatile over the weekend.
The UK's higher pressures on the east are now helping to attract warmer north air across the country, Dixon said, adding that Thursday's sunshine will only be broken by some fair weather clouds in central England.
Friday will remain warm for many, but rain is expected from the southwest. The showers are expected to begin in Cornwall and gradually move northeasterly to Wales and to areas in central and southern England during the day. Rain is then expected throughout the weekend in most parts of the country.
Weather spring always begins on March 1st, while astronomical spring, or equinox, begins every year around March 20th.
The other equinox is September, and neither marks the sun crossing the equator, rather than being diagonally. Therefore, day and night are roughly the same length.
