The first official day of spring will spark highs of 17C, says the Met Office

From Country Living

After heavy rain, strong winds and even some snow brought disruption for many parts of the UK last week, there's a change on the way in time for the official start of spring.

The arrival of warmer air means temperatures are expected to rise, with the Met Office forecasting highs of 17C in the south of England on Wednesday 20th March - the date of the spring equinox.

The equinox marks the first day of the astronomical spring, when both the north and south hemispheres will experience 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night. For those in the northern hemisphere, the evenings will continue to get lighter as daylight lengthens until the summer solstice in June.

According to the Met Office forecast for this week, Wednesday will see "some warm bright spells developing, particularly across the south and east." It will remain "largely dry, cloudy and warm" into the weekend before showers and cooler temperatures arrive on Saturday.

It might be warming up, but the first signs of spring were enjoyed a little earlier than expected in late February. In Wales, temperatures reached 20.3C, making it the first day since records began that the UK recorded 20 °C in meteorological winter. The Royal Horticultural Society even declared it the most fragrant February in living memory, with winter flowers thriving in parks and gardens thanks to the warm air and lack of hard frosts.

The weather records for spring could take some beating, however. The Met Office notes that the sunniest spring was back in 1948, in which a total of 558 sunshine hours were recorded.

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