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Highs of 23.2C - but UK falls short of hottest day of the year

André Rhoden-Paul
BBC News
Shireen Jordan
BBC Weather presenter
PA Media A person on a paddleboard and another group on an inflatable swan on the River Cam in Cambridge PA Media
People took to the River Cam in kayaks and paddleboards in Cambridge

The UK has fallen slightly short of the hottest day of the year so far as sunshine and warm temperatures grip the country.

South and south-eastern England saw the warmest weather, with a peak of 23.2C (73.8F) at Kew Gardens and St. James's Park in London, according to provisional figures.

It has been warm and sunny for most parts of the UK, with some places hotter than Ibiza and Athens.

However, Friday's temperatures failed to surpass the current hottest day of the year - 23.7C recorded on 4 April in Otterbourne, Hampshire.

The continued warm weather comes as fire services continue to warn of the risk of wildfires.

It was the joint warmest day of the year in Wales, with 22.4C recorded at Usk in Monmouthshire - the same as last Friday.

While Northern Ireland recorded a peak of 21.7C at Castlederg, and Scotland reached 21C at Aberdeen Airport.

Recently the warmest weather has been seen across inland parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

On Thursday, the temperatures reached 21.8C at Castlederg in Northern Ireland on for the first time this year and Aboyne in Scotland reached 22.8C.

While daytime temperatures are above the mid- April average of 11C to 14C, the nights have been chilly.

The warmest April UK temperature on record was 29.4C in London in 1949.

Sunshine and some light rain: The weather forecast for this weekend

The far north of Scotland will be cloudier on Friday with some patches of light rain.

Saturday brings the prospect of rain but there will still be lots of warm sunshine, with temperatures in the east and south-east of England potentially reaching 22C or 23C.

It will be slightly cooler in northern England and Scotland and significantly cooler by about 6C or 7C in Northern Ireland at 15C or 16C.

But cloud will arrive from the south-west bringing the chance of showers. Showers will move northwards into Scotland during the afternoon as cloud cover becomes more widespread.

Sunday is expected to be a drier and cooler day with variable cloud and a few scattered showers moving in from the west, these mainly across northern and western areas.

PA Media Meerkat sits on a deckchair at Peak Wildlife Park in LeekPA Media
A meerkat sits on a deckchair at Peak Wildlife Park in Leek
BBC Weather Watchers/Wendy Windblows Titchwell, Norfolk BBC Weather Watchers/Wendy Windblows
A walker looks across a beach at Titchwell, Norfolk

Fire services continue to warn of wildfires across the country.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) warned against using barbecues, saying the wildfire risk has increased due to low rainfall.

According to LFB, the service saw a 48% increase in calls last weekend compared with the same weekend last year.

In Northern Ireland, firefighters have tackled more than 200 wildfires in recent days, most of which were started deliberately according to the fire service.

Meanwhile in Scotland, the fire service has urged the public to "act responsibly" as an extreme wildfire warning remains in place across the country.

Two people walk in a park and a dog follows them
Victoria Park in east London attracted sun worshippers
PA Media A woman punts on the River Cam in Cambridge PA Media
A woman punts on the River Cam in Cambridge

With it being the Easter school holidays, the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS UK) has urged for young people and families to stay safe around water.

The water safety charity warned as temperatures rise, so do the number of drownings recorded per day.

Matt Croxall, interim charity director, said: "Whilst we recognise that during school holidays and nice weather it is easy for people to want to go open water swimming, it is important that individuals do so safely, not fatally."