Full bloom: Tourists take in the view at St James's Park, LondonSome areas of Britain were hotter than Greece yesterday, the warmest day of the year so far.
In Norwich, the temperature was 18c (64.4f) - one degree above temperatures in Athens and around seven more than is usual for the beginning of spring.
The news came as a relief to many after enduring a winter that went on record as the coldest for more than three decades.
The Met Office says the time to pack away our winter woollies has come, with the mild weather here to stay.
Forecaster Helen Chivers said: 'I don't think we are looking at another cold snap.
We are certainly not expecting it and I think temperatures for the next 10-15 days are going to be staying around 10 or 11c (50 to 51.8f) during the day, which are around average for this time of year.
'We will still be seeing sunshine and it will feel warmer than normal for this time of year.'
However, we will be getting our April showers early, with blustery, unsettled weather over the weekend and at the start of next week.
Mrs Chivers said: 'For the next few days, I think temperatures will be between 11 and 14c (51.8 and 57.2c) which is still well above average, and the nights will be quite mild with no frost.
'It's really good for gardeners to be getting all this rain and not have any night frosts.'
Britain has already enjoyed a particularly bright March.
The country basked in more than 74 hours of sunshine between March 1 and 14, around 77 per cent of the entire monthly average.
Wales was particularly sunny, with nearly 88 hours of blue skies - or 90 per cent of its normal total for March.
After the showers and snows of January and February, the first half of March was dry. England had just 2.7mm of rain - or four per cent of the monthly total - while Wales was parched with just 1mm of rain on average.
Although daytime temperatures were not unusually cold, the clear night-time skies saw temperatures plummet after dark.
The average temperature for the UK in the first half of March was 2.9C (37.2F) - 2.6C below the long term average for March.
The fine start to March followed the harshest winter since 1978-79 when snow brought chaos to the UK in December, January and February - forcing thousands of schools to close.
The chilly temperatures have delayed the arrival of spring by around three weeks - restoring the timing of the seasons to the patterns last seen routinely in the 1950s and 1960s.
source :dailymail
