Weekend when our county was hottest place in the country

9:00am Tuesday 13th May 2008

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PEOPLE in Worcestershire soaked up the sunshine and basked in the hottest temperatures across Britain at the weekend.

Great Malvern recorded the highest temperature in the country and the hottest day of the year so far on Sunday with 27.5C (81.5F) - making it a brilliant climax to this Year's Malvern Spring Gardening Show.

More than 90,000 people attended this year's four-day event from May 8 to 11.

Worcester News weatherman Paul Damari recorded the temperature - which was well above the average of 16C (61F) - at his weather station in Barbourne on Sunday, He said the temperatures had been building up during the week to produce the finest spell of weather for the year to date. The daily temperatures were: l Monday: 20.5C (68.9F) l Tuesday: 23.4C (74.1F) l Wednesday: 25.2C (77.4F), l Thursday: 25.2C (77.4F) l Friday: 23.6C (74.5F) l Saturday: 24.9C (76.9F) There was just light rainfall on Monday and Friday.

Mr Damari said: "May started rather unsettled, but this weekend was nothing like we had this time last year. On Sunday, May 13, last year we had torrential rain and gale force winds. We had 33.8 mm (1.3ins) of rain on that one day alone and the temperature was 12.7C (54.9F) and the following days carried on unsettled."

Mr Damari expects the weather to stay fine for the first part of this week with temperatures reaching 24C (75F) today and 22C (72F) tomorrow. But there is a possibility of rain on Thursday and Friday.

Mr Damari said: "The temperatures will be well above average but there is a risk of pockets of thunderstorms. After that we may begin to see pressure rise again. The farmers are over the moon as we move towards haymaking season."

The prospects are set fair next weekend for Worcester Rowing Club's annual regatta and for a repeat of last year's near-perfect conditions.

Mr Damari said: "This weather is coming up from the Continent which is very warm at the moment and is blocking the low pressure to the south west. The pattern is completely different from last year."