Bristol is hotter than Ibiza this weekend

Bristol will be at least three degrees warmer than Ibiza today as a summer taster arrives in the West Country. The mercury is expected to rise to 24C by mid-afternoon in Bristol as high pressure dominates the weather picture this weekend.

By contrast – even though there is wall-to-wall sunshine on the Balearic island of Ibiza, the temperature will only reach 21 degrees today.

The mini heatwave will see sunny spells and high clouds, according to the Met for this weekend, with the clouds thickening a bit by 3pm and feeling distinctly dizzy.

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Temperatures will rise to 24C for a sustained period this afternoon (May 11) and even better, there won’t be the usual sharp drop in the evening. For those planning an evening in a pub beer garden or a barbecue in your own garden, it will still be a very pleasant 21C long after 9pm, thanks to that blanket of high cloud keeping the heat of the day.

The Met Office forecast tells a similar story for tomorrow, Sunday, at least in terms of temperature. The thermometer will hit 24C again in Bristol but only 21C in Ibiza, however tomorrow is a big difference to today.

The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning as the weather clears after midday tomorrow. In Bristol there is a 30% chance of rain at noon and a 60% chance of a thunderstorm at 2pm and 3pm. Forecasters say some places may miss showers altogether, but others will be drenched by a dramatic storm.

And that will be the end of Bristol’s three-day spell of heat – temperatures will drop below average to 16C on Monday, with a band of heavy rain coming overnight into Tuesday morning.