Good things, they say, come to those who wait. But wonderful things sometimes arrive much earlier than expected.
Glorious blooms of wisteria appeared across the country as millions of Britons basked in unseasonably high temperatures and it looks set to be even hotter today.
In a month when umbrellas and wellies are usually a more common sight than parasols and suncream, the warm weather had the colourful side-effect.
The summer sunshine arrived earlier than expected, taking forecasters by surprise, as the Met Office was forced to revise temperature predictions up to 26C and they reckon it could be the hottest April on record.
It is particularly good news for those living in the south - and holidaymakers heading in that direction - where the temperatures look set to stay high until the long Easter weekend.
The Met Office had initially forecast that the thermometer would peak this week at around 22C to 24C on Thursday afternoon.
But a lack of cloud cover aided by a warm continental breeze has seen the UK basking in summer temperatures, and it could lead to the hottest ever April on record.
A spokesman for the Met Office said: 'We're going for a fairly decent, dry, sunny day. There's a bit of mist and fog across eastern Scotland and North East England, some as far down as Yorkshire, but south of that it's looking dry.
'Temperatures we are going for are going to be in the region of 21 to 24 across southern England and Wales while in London we're probably going to see 26C.
'Newcastle is likely to be a bit cooler at 15C while Scotland will be between 12 to 15C. Basically the further west and south you are, the better, but it's still fairly pleasant across the rest of the country.'
Alison Cobb, forecaster at MeteoGroup UK, said: 'If we continue to get these temperatures then it is looking like this April is going to be very close to the record set in 2007 where the maximum average temperature was 18.9C.
'It is going to stay warm for the remainder of the week with large amounts of sunshine in most places.
'There will be the risk of isolated showers and northern and western areas could see some cloud and light rain, but on the whole it is looking very nice.'
'We have the favourable conditions for it to hit 25C degrees today in the South East and we will keep these sorts of temperatures for the next few days,' said Met Office spokesman Charles Powell.
Thousands of people flocked to coasts and parks around the country to soak up the sizzling weather with St James's Park in central London hitting 25.4C yesterday - eclipsing Rome and Athens.
Millions more will make the most of the mini-heatwave over the Easter weekend, which is expected to see the high temperatures continue.
Across the country, wisteria is flowering early, taking gardeners by surprise with its spectacular displays of lavender and violet.
The plant usually signals the start of summer when it blooms each May, but a long, cold winter and unusually warm April mean it has opened up two weeks early.
At Cambridge, visitors have been stopping to admire the wisteria stretching across the outside of colleges such as Magdalene, where this picture was taken.
But gardening experts say that if the run of warm weather carries on, the blooms may only be around for a few weeks.
There was no sign of a let-up yesterday. Indeed, it was the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures peaking at 25C (77F) in Gravesend, Kent – hotter than Malaga (19C/66F) and Cyprus (23C/73F).
Mr Powell added: 'We have the high pressure you usually need for clear blue skies and there are more breaks in cloud cover giving us more sunshine.
The parched conditions are also a worry for gardeners who rely on a good soaking in spring to get their flowers, shrubs, fruit and vegetables off to a good start.
Barry Gromet of the Met Office said: ‘If you live in Scotland then the rain’s been hammering down. But in England and Wales it’s been a very different story.
‘We’ve got an area of high pressure in the Atlantic close to the UK and it’s keeping out the unsettled weather from England and Wales, and sucking up quite a lot of hot air from Europe.’
The South-East and Central Southern England has seen the driest conditions with just 4 per cent of the total April rainfall so far.
East Anglia has had just 3.3mm, or 7 per cent of the April total. The north of Scotland, in contrast, has had more than 90mm, nearly its entire April allocation
The Met Office expects the dry, warm weather to continue through this week, and says it could last until at least the start of May. Temperatures are expected to reach at least 23C (73F) over the Easter Weekend.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: ‘In the last six months we have had 82 per cent of the expected rainfall so rivers are low. But we believe it is unlikely that water companies will impose restrictions in the spring or summer.’
Glorious blooms of wisteria appeared across the country as millions of Britons basked in unseasonably high temperatures and it looks set to be even hotter today.
In a month when umbrellas and wellies are usually a more common sight than parasols and suncream, the warm weather had the colourful side-effect.
The summer sunshine arrived earlier than expected, taking forecasters by surprise, as the Met Office was forced to revise temperature predictions up to 26C and they reckon it could be the hottest April on record.
Glorious: Two students walk by a magnificent wisteria display yesterday that has bloomed early on the walls of Magdalene College at Cambridge University after unseasonably warm weather
The Met Office had initially forecast that the thermometer would peak this week at around 22C to 24C on Thursday afternoon.
But a lack of cloud cover aided by a warm continental breeze has seen the UK basking in summer temperatures, and it could lead to the hottest ever April on record.
A spokesman for the Met Office said: 'We're going for a fairly decent, dry, sunny day. There's a bit of mist and fog across eastern Scotland and North East England, some as far down as Yorkshire, but south of that it's looking dry.
'Temperatures we are going for are going to be in the region of 21 to 24 across southern England and Wales while in London we're probably going to see 26C.
'Newcastle is likely to be a bit cooler at 15C while Scotland will be between 12 to 15C. Basically the further west and south you are, the better, but it's still fairly pleasant across the rest of the country.'
Making a splash: Two bathers cool off in the waves at Newquay's Fistral Beach today as the warm weather was predicted to reach 25C over the weekend
What a day for it! A surfer makes the most of the scorching sun as he catches a wave - and a tan - at the Fistral Beach, a popular surfing destination
'It is going to stay warm for the remainder of the week with large amounts of sunshine in most places.
'There will be the risk of isolated showers and northern and western areas could see some cloud and light rain, but on the whole it is looking very nice.'
'We have the favourable conditions for it to hit 25C degrees today in the South East and we will keep these sorts of temperatures for the next few days,' said Met Office spokesman Charles Powell.
Thousands of people flocked to coasts and parks around the country to soak up the sizzling weather with St James's Park in central London hitting 25.4C yesterday - eclipsing Rome and Athens.
Millions more will make the most of the mini-heatwave over the Easter weekend, which is expected to see the high temperatures continue.
Cooling off: Friends Jessica Holmes (left) and Jordan Mellin walk through the Bluebells which were shaded from the sun in woods near Ashford, Kent
Something more genteel: Hundreds more people took to the waters, but at Cambridge it was people punting along the River Cam in front of the famous colleges of the university
The plant usually signals the start of summer when it blooms each May, but a long, cold winter and unusually warm April mean it has opened up two weeks early.
At Cambridge, visitors have been stopping to admire the wisteria stretching across the outside of colleges such as Magdalene, where this picture was taken.
But gardening experts say that if the run of warm weather carries on, the blooms may only be around for a few weeks.
There was no sign of a let-up yesterday. Indeed, it was the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures peaking at 25C (77F) in Gravesend, Kent – hotter than Malaga (19C/66F) and Cyprus (23C/73F).
Mr Powell added: 'We have the high pressure you usually need for clear blue skies and there are more breaks in cloud cover giving us more sunshine.
Bikini weather: Katie Thompson, 17, Erin Budina, 17 and Abby Price, 18 enjoy the surprise burst of sunshine on the beach in Barry, South Wales
Packed: The April sunshine has brought hundreds flocking to Brighton Beach
Going for a dip: A group of brave young ladies on Brighton beach decide to see if the sea has warmed up as early as the sun
'We initially thought there would be more cloud cover than there has been but that has proved not to be the case.
'There is also a light south easterly wind bringing in temperatures from the continent and they should stay for the next few days.'
Stephen Davenport, of MeteoGroup said that if the warmth continues as expected, then we might be looking at the warmest April, or at least one of the warmest Aprils, on record.
He added: 'The warmest April, averaging daytime and overnight temperatures, was as recently as 2007 when it was 11.2C.
'According to climatologist Philip Eden, the CET measurement up to April 18 was the same.'
'This would be particularly notable given how hot it was in April 2007.
'It beat the previous record for April, way back in 1865, by what in this context is the wide margin of 0.6 degrees.'
The rise in temperatures has been accompanied by a drop in rainfall.
While this is supposed to be the month of refreshing spring downpours, so far, the April showers have failed to materialise.
According to the Met Office, the South-East got just 2.3mm of rain in the first two weeks of April, while across England there were just 9.3mm – or 16 per cent of the total expected for the whole of the month.
The dry start to April in England and Wales follows the driest March in 60 years and has prompted fears of hosepipe bans and water restrictions later in the year.
'There is also a light south easterly wind bringing in temperatures from the continent and they should stay for the next few days.'
Stephen Davenport, of MeteoGroup said that if the warmth continues as expected, then we might be looking at the warmest April, or at least one of the warmest Aprils, on record.
He added: 'The warmest April, averaging daytime and overnight temperatures, was as recently as 2007 when it was 11.2C.
'According to climatologist Philip Eden, the CET measurement up to April 18 was the same.'
On the jetty: Daisy Sharp (left) from Walham Abbey and Jasmine Sawyer (right) from Cheshunt, enjoy the boating lake at Hyde Park in London
Chilling out: Londoners Susi Jajy and Grainne Mcphillips enjoy the hottest day of the year so far in Hyde Park
Having a ball: Alexander Wallop, 8, and his five-year-old brother Felix, from Highbury, north London, play in the fountains at Somerset House
'Given that we are expecting above-average temperatures through the rest of the month then there is a good chance that this figure will be exceeded.''This would be particularly notable given how hot it was in April 2007.
'It beat the previous record for April, way back in 1865, by what in this context is the wide margin of 0.6 degrees.'
The rise in temperatures has been accompanied by a drop in rainfall.
While this is supposed to be the month of refreshing spring downpours, so far, the April showers have failed to materialise.
According to the Met Office, the South-East got just 2.3mm of rain in the first two weeks of April, while across England there were just 9.3mm – or 16 per cent of the total expected for the whole of the month.
The dry start to April in England and Wales follows the driest March in 60 years and has prompted fears of hosepipe bans and water restrictions later in the year.
Who said it's grim up north? People sit by the sea in Blackpool
Summer's here: With temperatures expected to reach 25C today, and rainfall drying up, there has been some unexpected blooming in Cambridge for gardener Lottie Collis to tend
Barry Gromet of the Met Office said: ‘If you live in Scotland then the rain’s been hammering down. But in England and Wales it’s been a very different story.
‘We’ve got an area of high pressure in the Atlantic close to the UK and it’s keeping out the unsettled weather from England and Wales, and sucking up quite a lot of hot air from Europe.’
The South-East and Central Southern England has seen the driest conditions with just 4 per cent of the total April rainfall so far.
East Anglia has had just 3.3mm, or 7 per cent of the April total. The north of Scotland, in contrast, has had more than 90mm, nearly its entire April allocation
Enlarge 
Mr Gromet said April had also been unusually warm. Across England, maximum daytime temperatures have been 15.8C (60.4F) or 4.1C warmer than normal. Wales and Scotland have been around 3C warmer than average for April. The Met Office expects the dry, warm weather to continue through this week, and says it could last until at least the start of May. Temperatures are expected to reach at least 23C (73F) over the Easter Weekend.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: ‘In the last six months we have had 82 per cent of the expected rainfall so rivers are low. But we believe it is unlikely that water companies will impose restrictions in the spring or summer.’
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