Summer kicks off tomorrow with highs of 26°C by Friday.

The UK’s Met Office has announced that we could see temperatures of up to 22°C tomorrow (Wednesday 19 May) rising to highs of 26°C on Friday.

It is thought to be the first real taste of summer, as warm air from the south-west will lift temperatures through the rest of the week, with many parts of the UK seeing temperatures reaching the low-to-mid 20s, despite large amounts of cloud at times.

If temperatures do reach 26°C, this will be the highest recorded since September last year. Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, Martin Young, said: “High temperatures coupled with humid conditions could trigger an isolated thunderstorm over one or two inland locations. Sea breezes will keep many coasts cooler but still fine with some sunshine.”

Independent forecaster Positive Weather Solutions (PWS), which accurately predicted last year’s wet summer, has also forecast great weather for the months ahead.

For May it predicts that “by mid-month, the weather shows signs of breaking into a stable pattern with some dry and sunny days. Temperatures will recover, indeed, they will be on the warm side, so a pleasant period through the middle part of May.”

PWS, which bases forecasts on weather patterns, long-term temperature cycles and 30 years of statistics, predicts one of the five hottest summers on record, with temperatures expected to hit 38.5C (101F) in August. Summer 2010 will also last a month longer than usual, it suggests, beginning tomorrow and lasting all the way until mid-September.