Friday could reach 26C but turning cooler and wetter for the bank holiday

It's a promising start to the May Bank Holiday weekend with temperatures rising for the Friday getaway, only for showers and cooler air to sweep in through the weekend.

Temperatures will widely rise up into the twenties across much of England and east Wales

Parts of the south-east could reach 25C or even 26C (77-79F), which is significantly warmer than the early May average of 16C (61F).

A weather front moving in though is likely to then put a dampener on things in typical bank holiday fashion.

For south-west England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Western Scotland the peak of the warmth will be on Thursday before a cold front approaches from the west bringing cooler air and the chance of rain.

It will then push north-eastwards, introducing fresher conditions right across the UK.

There will be a notable drop in temperature on Sunday and more unsettled weather on the way for the remainder of the bank holiday weekend.

High pressure has been dominant across the UK lately leading to many areas having a particularly dry April, especially across eastern England.

Bedford and Shoeburyness in Essex have only received 2% of their average April rainfall. Cambridge and Herstmonceux in East Sussex, have only had 4%.

By contrast, some spots in the north-west of the UK such as Tiree in the Inner Hebrides have had a wetter month than average.

This week will be largely dominated once more by warm, dry and sunny conditions with the large area of high pressure moving further north-eastwards.

It draws in a south-easterly wind, ushering in warmer air from the south and creating a rise in temperatures across the UK, including parts of northern Scotland, in the shelter of the Highlands.

As the high pressure clears away though it will no longer block low pressure systems in the Atlantic and the approaching cold front will begin to show its hand.

One thing's for sure it won't be a washout.

While many in the west will have showers on Friday, for most further east it could stay dry until the end of the day.

Over the weekend there will be a shallow area of low pressure across the UK. It will be unsettled with rain at times but there will also be lots of dry weather too and the winds will be light.

In the best of the sunshine - and there will be some sunny breaks - it will feel warm.

Scotland looks cloudy with showers on Saturday while elsewhere it will be a day of showers with sunny spells breaking through the cloud at times. It will still be warm, especially in south-east England.

Sunday looks wetter in the south of the UK with showers and longer spells of rain. Further north though it could stay largely dry with sunny spells. It will be cooler across the board with temperatures much closer to average at 11-18C.

By Bank Holiday Monday, however, while it's still looking cooler than it has been, high pressure could re-establish itself across the UK bringing a drier end to the long weekend.

Showers at this time of year are notoriously difficult to forecast due to unstable conditions high in the atmosphere. There is also some uncertainty in the timing and position of the cold front on Friday. Keep across the latest for your local area weather-wise BBC Weather website and app.

And if you are already making plans for May you can read our latest monthly outlook.