Hot weather maps show UK baking in 23C mini-heatwave - full list of 16 hottest counties

May is set to make a dazzling entrance next week, with sunshine and warm expected to sweep across the UK. Netweather maps suggest temperatures could reach 23C to 24C on Thursday, May 1, offering a promising start to the month. This is significantly higher than the usual average for this time of year.

The has also confirmed that parts of southern England could see temperatures soar to a remarkable on Wednesday, April 30, which isn't too far off from the UK's April record 29.4C recorded in London back in 1949.

Last year, the Met Office reported that May's average mean temperature of 13.1C already broke the previous record of 12.1C set in 2008, making it the warmest May on record for the UK.

According to the Netweather maps, warm temperatures are expected on Thursday, reaching up to 24C in Kent.

Sussex, London, and Staffordshire are expected to experience temperatures of 23C, while areas such as Hampshire and the Midlands will reach highs of 22C.

The Met Office forecast for the period of April 30 to May 9 says: "Fine, dry and very warm across the majority of the UK at the start of this period with long clear or sunny spells. However, it is expected to be cloudier in the far north with some rain at times.

"Some of this rain will likely spread southwards late next week before clearing to leave a mainly dry and sunny weekend, although with temperatures closer to normal than on preceding days.

"Into the following week, it will probably turn more changeable, with dry, settled periods interspersed with some spells of wetter weather.

"This will bring some showers or longer spells of rain at times, which could be heavy and thundery. Temperatures will probably be near normal."

Here is the full list of the 16 warmest counties according to the Netweather map:

Bedfordshire

Berkshire

Buckinghamshire

Cambridgeshire

Essex

Hampshire

Hertfordshire

Kent

Leicestershire

London

Northamptonshire

Oxfordshire

Surrey

Suffolk

Sussex

Staffordshire