Britons face settled weekend with highs of 60F as winter ends with equinox

Britons face settled weather over the weekend with highs of 60F as winter draws to a close with the equinox after months of lockdown misery.

The UK is set to stay mostly dry over the coming days with only light winds and bursts of sun expected. 

The forecast will be welcomed by many as they continue to enjoy the recent easing of lockdown restrictions that allows them to meet one other person outside for recreation to have a picnic or to meet for coffee. 

It comes after the equinox took place earlier today marking the point when the Sun appears to shine directly over the equator and daytime and nighttime are nearly equal lengths.

The Northern Hemisphere will now start seeing more hours of daylight than darkness each day. 

Britons face settled weather over the weekend with highs of 60F as winter draws to a close with the equinox after months of lockdown misery. Pictured: Two swimmers make their way into the sea as dawn breaks over Boscombe Beach, Dorset

The forecast will be welcomed by many as they continue to enjoy the recent easing of lockdown restrictions that allows them to meet one other person outside for recreation to have a picnic or to meet for coffee. Pictured: Dog walker on Boscombe Beach, Dorset

Meteorologist Alex Deakin, from the Met Office, said: ‘Most places will be dry for much of this weekend. The sunshine will be hard to find for some of us but the winds are going to be a lot lighter than last weekend.

‘When the sun is out though it is going to feel pretty pleasant like it has done for the past couple of days. 

‘High pressure is still in control keeping things largely dry but with weather fronts draped around it tangling themselves across the UK and complicating matters and bringing quite a bit of cloud with them – but not much in the way of rainfall.

‘There will be some drizzly rain here and there overnight perhaps over parts of northern England.’

Under current coronavirus guidelines, people are allowed to meet one other person outside for recreation, for example, to have a picnic or to meet for coffee. 

From March 29, outdoor gatherings of up to six people or a larger group from up to two households will be allowed. These gatherings will be allowed to happen in private gardens.

Outdoor sports like tennis and basketball will be allowed to reopen and people will also be able to take part in formally organised outdoor sports.

It is at this point that the Government’s stay at home guidance will end, to be replaced by ministers encouraging people to ‘stay local’.

It comes after the equinox took place earlier today marking the point when the Sun appears to shine directly over the equator and daytime and nighttime are nearly equal lengths. Pictured: Dog walker on Boscombe Beach, Dorset

The UK is set to stay mostly dry over the coming days with only light winds and bursts of sun. Pictured: Boscombe Beach, Dorset

However, the Government is expected not to define what constitutes local, instead choosing to rely on people using their common sense to decide on journeys.

People will still be told to work from home wherever possible while international travel will still be banned unless it is for essential purposes.

It comes after this year’s equinox took place this morning at 9.37am GMT – officially marking the arrival of spring for the Northern Hemisphere.

The equinox marks the point when the Sun appears to shine directly over the equator and daytime and nighttime are nearly equal lengths.

The Northern Hemisphere will now start seeing more hours of daylight than darkness each day.