THE North-East and North Yorkshire will be able to enjoy a warm and sunny weekend, the Met Office has said.

Much of the nation can expect to bask in daytime temperatures in the mid-to-late teens today, Friday, April 23, including the region.

The warm conditions will then give way to a chilly evening, before the mercury picks back up again on Saturday, though the Met Office said it would remain cooler in the east of England.

The dry and sunny conditions are expected to persist on Sunday, but forecasters said England’s east may have a little more cloud cover.

With temperatures of 17C today, Darlington residents will see cooler days this weekend at 12C and 10C on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, both days will be sunny by lunchtime. 

There is a similar picture in Durham, Bishop Auckland, Chester-le-Street, Sedgefield, Ferryhill, Barnard Castle, Middlesbrough and Stockton, with temperatures varying up or down 1C.

Consett is slightly cooler, with temperatures of 15C today and 9C at the weekend.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire is set for a warmer weekend of 14C and 12C on Saturday and Sunday, despite seeing a lightly cooler temperature of 16C today.

Conditions should remain fine in the south heading into early next week but will likely turn more unsettled elsewhere with rain and showers spreading south-east.

The warm break comes after the UK shivered through the coldest start to April since 2013.

The Met Office said mean temperatures were 2-4C cooler than average for the time of year between April 1 and April 18.