South East England to be 'hotter than Portugal'

Parts of south-east England will enjoy temperatures of 24C today – while Scotland suffers radically different weather. A severe weather warning for rain has been issued for Dumfries and the Borders.

April 2015 was the sunniest since records began in 1929 – a trend that seems to be continuing into March in the southern UK. Forecasters expect it to be hotter than parts of Portugal today, reports Sky News.

Meanwhile, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders have been warned to prepare for severe weather as a band of rain moves east overnight. Forecasters at the Met Office said the cold front could bring as much as 50mm of rain in 12 hours in some areas.

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While most of the affected parts of Scotland will catch 20-40mm of rain, some minor flooding is "possible" in the south-west borders, says the Met Office.

There may be rain in northern parts of England and Wales today – and scattered showers are expected tomorrow with blustery conditions. Tomorrow should be dry and sunny in the south once again and it is expected to stay dry on Wednesday.

The Independent says a 1,000-mile band of hot air drifting over from Africa is responsible for the warm spell enjoyed in the south but warns that gale force winds and heavy rain can be expected for the second half of the week.

The Met Office warns that less settled weather is expected in the south of England from Thursday. The highest temperature of the year so far was 25.1C in Faversham, Kent, in April.