Londoners flocked outdoors on Wednesday as temperatures reached a high of 18 degrees on the hottest day of the year so far.
Public parks were packed as city residents looked to make the most of the rare midweek sunshine, with Hampstead Heath a particularly popular destination for Londoners.
Freddie, 19, enjoying the sunshine with friends, said: “It’s gorgeous. I woke up so happy seeing the weather this morning.”
Temperatures peaked above those in Athens, with the Met Office reporting it was the highest recorded temperature in February since 2019.
The warm weather marks a change from the colder temperatures observed earlier in the year, as the Met Office reported January was the eighth wettest on record while Storm Chandra saw yellow ice warnings put in place across the capital.
As the sun continued to shine throughout the day, residents described some of the additional personal benefits they felt from the upturn in weather.
Susie, 41 stated: “It’s a great day to be unemployed! I’ve been sick for almost all of February so it’s a particularly meaningful day for me. I feel like a human being again.”
Milo, 24 said: “As soon as we saw the weather last week we planned to come here. It will probably be the last good weather for a while.”
Even with the mud underfoot, it still didn’t strop a brave few from dusting off their picnic blankets.
When asked about their go-to sunshine snack Noah, 19 replied: “It’s got to be the M&S loaded dips, I haven’t tried the chicken kiev one but I really want to.”
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