Britain braced for rain and sunshine

Swathes of the UK will bask in unseasonably hot temperatures today while other parts will be battered by gale force winds and heavy rain.

The South East will be bathed in sunshine, with the mercury predicted to soar to 27C in London - well above the 19C average for the time of year.

But in stark contrast, parts of Scotland will be hit by downpours and gales with winds gusting up to 80 miles per hour.

Gareth Harvey, forecaster for MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "As the cloud burns off during the course of the morning temperatures will shoot up in the south-eastern quarter of Britain, peaking at 26C or 27C in London.

"Meanwhile, an unseasonably deep low pressure system will move closer to Scotland through the day which will bring very windy weather.

"There will be severe, gale-force winds in the north west of Scotland in the afternoon and early evening with gusts of 75 to 80 miles-per-hour.

"There will also be heavy rain around, up to 30mm in places."

Mr Harvey said a cool front will move in by tomorrow lowering the mercury across the country.

He said: "Today will be the warmest day of the week. The low pressure will move away overnight and in its place high pressure will build from the South West across the UK, settling across all areas.

"Despite the high pressure it will get cooler. A cold front over the South East will introduce fresher air and temperatures will drop to around 20C."