Hottest April ever...and we could be hitting 82F this weekend

Soaring temperatures of 82f (28c) this weekend will help make this the warmest April since monthly records began 348 years ago in 1659.

The Met Office has also revealed that the 12 months from May 2006 to April 2007 have been the warmest ever.

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This weekend thousands of families are expected to head to the coast and country parks.

But heavy smog has been forecast for England and Wales over the next few days.

Those sensitive to the ozone haze have been warned they could experience shortness of breath and have been urged not to make unnecessary car journeys.

However, anyone choosing to enjoy the sunshine at home will be better off than many in Europe - thundery showers and overcast skies have been forecast across parts of France, Italy, Spain and Germany.

But those heading for the beaches of the South and West should pack waterproofs as some showers are expected on Sunday and Monday.

Day-trippers in the South are advised to leave plenty of time to get to their destination because traffic jams are likely on sections of the M25, M1 and on the M3 heading towards Southampton.

Monitoring service Trafficmaster warned that roads around Birmingham and the section of the M5 between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare will also be congested.

Met Office forecaster Barry Gromme believes the temperature today could hit the 80s in London, the South-East, the West and the Midlands.

But easterly winds and sea fog from Scandinavia will keep north-eastern coastal areas cool.

The temperatures, though, are likely to fall just short of April's highest-ever reading of 84.2f (29c), set in London on April 16, 1949.

Mr Gromme said: "It is looking like we will see the hottest temperatures of the year so far.

"I would expect it to be very hot in the Cotswolds and I am sure the beaches in Brighton and Bournemouth will be packed because of the fine weather."

Forecasters from the Met Office Hadley Centre predicted the average temperature for April will be 52f (11.1c), which would break the previous record of 51f (10.6c) set in 1865.

These figures are based on the Central England Temperature - which roughly covers a triangle between Bristol, Lancashire and London, with records dating back to 1659 - making it the oldest weather archive in the world.

But even if forecasters use documented temperature readings for the whole of Britain, which began only in 1914, these also confirm that this April will be the hottest on record.

The average temperature will be 50f (10c), beating the previous record of 49f (9.2c) in 1943, which is three degrees higher than normal for the time of year.

The Met Office also believes the British are in for a hot summer.

It says there is a 70 per cent chance that the average temperature between July and August will be above 57.4f (14.1c) including night temperatures.

That would make it the ninth year in a row that the season has been hotter than usual.

There is also a 12 per cent chance that this summer will be as much of a scorcher as it was in 2003 and 2006.