Overview
- The Met Office logged 26.5C at Kew Gardens on Wednesday, setting the year’s high and capping a brief early April warm surge.
- Forecasters expect a sharp cool‑down from Thursday with showers spreading, stronger winds, and temperatures dropping by around 10C compared with Wednesday.
- ECMWF guidance points to a risk of heavy snow in parts of Scotland and northern England later in the weekend, though forecasters stress uncertainty over exact timing and amounts.
- Across several U.S. regions, local forecasts show a warm stretch this week with highs in the 60s and 70s before late‑week rounds of rain and some thunderstorms.
- On the California coast, a cut‑off low that is detached from the jet stream is expected to drift in and spark hit‑or‑miss thunderstorms and pockets of heavier rain from Friday into the weekend.