Temperatures are likely to drop slightly this week after a weekend when much of Britain saw the mercury rise into the 70s.
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far and the top temperature was 25.3C (77F), recorded at Herstmonceux at 3pm.
That made Britain warmer than parts of southern Spain and the Middle East - Beirut and Gibraltar managed 19C (66F) and Almeria and Majorca were trailing at 18C (64F).
But despite the unusually warm conditions, yesterday's temperature failed to beat the record for April - 29.4C (84.92F) recorded in Camden Square on April 16, 1949.
Forecaster Jeremy Plester, of MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It was a valiant effort."
He said cool fronts coming down from the north would bring temperatures down during the next couple of days, but added that there would still be plenty of bright, dry weather around.
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