UK weather: London hotter than Barcelona, Rome and Ibiza as heatwave hits this weekend

Temperatures are set to soar in the UK this weekend, with parts of the country seeing warmer weather than hotspots in the Mediterranean. The south-east is expected to see the best of the summer weather, with temperatures reaching up to 25C in London on 7 and 8 May.

London's weekend heatwave will see temperatures climbing well above the average of 16C for this time of year. Some forecasters have indicated that temperatures in the capital could rise as high as 26-27C. Large parts of England and Wales will also see above average temperatures, with the mercury rising to 21C in Cardiff and 23C in parts of the Midlands.

Although conditions are expected to remain cloudier up north, parts of Scotland will also see temperatures as high as 19C over the weekend and into early next week. However, Scotland is also expected to see showery rain across the region for much of the early part of the weekend, before finally clearing on 8 May.

The weekend temperatures for much of the UK will be warmer than home of Europe's main summer spots, including Barcelona (16C), Lisbon (16C), Rome (23C), Madrid (15C) and Ibiza (18C). The warm weather had already begun to settle in parts of the south, with highs of 18C seen in London on 5 May alongside dry and sunny conditions.

Many will be welcoming the sunshine after last weekend's Bank Holiday weekend washout, which saw snow, rain and wind in large parts of the country. The Met Office had also issued severe weather warnings for snow in Scotland, northern England and the Midlands.