Warm sunshine for UK this weekend but will it last?

Outdoor plans this weekend? There will be more early spring sunshine to bask in for the majority, with temperatures remaining well above the seasonal average.

With a glorious start to the meteorological spring, coming in like the proverbial lamb rather than lion, temperatures have risen thanks to increasingly mild air, boosted by plentiful sunshine and longer daylight hours.

On Thursday it was the warmest day of the year so far in England, Wales and Scotland with 19C recorded in Santon Downham in Suffolk and 18.2C in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. The Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh reached 16.8C which is the highest on record at this station this early in the year.

Crocuses bloom underneath blue sky in East Lothian

Despite the warmth in the daytime, this has been at odds with the night-time temperatures with a huge difference between - what weather forecasters call diurnal range.

Although not unusual at this time of year, Thursday saw a difference of 22C at Santon Downham between overnight lows of -3C and the daytime high of 19C.

After what was a sunny week in most places, Friday brought a lot more cloud and some outbreaks of rain.

But sunshine is going to stage a comeback for the weekend.

Weather fronts will bring rain to the far north of Scotland and the far south-west of England but other places will be largely dry with plenty of sunny spells.

It will feel warm in the sunshine with temperatures reaching 17C in places and the nights should stay frost-free.

The early to mid March average is just 7-11C.

However, its best not to pack away the winter wardrobe quite yet - next week temperatures are set to drop.

Northerly winds will develop bringing colder air to all parts with some wintry showers. Daytime temperatures will fall just below the seasonal average and night-time frosts will return.

The good news is that there will also be some sunshine which is getting ever-stronger and daylight is now increasing by around 4 to 5 minutes every day.

In the meantime, make the most of the warmth this weekend and check the forecast for your local area on the BBC Weather website and app.