Spring may have finally arrived as Watford is forecast to be as warm as Barcelona this week.

The town looks set to bask in 18C warmth, according to the Met Office, matching and sometimes topping the mercury in Catalonia.

Monday and Tuesday will be 15C and 17C with sun and cloud, before a cloudy day on Wednesday with highs of 16C.

The following four days are then all forecast to be 18C – albeit with more cloud than sun – though still a welcome change from below average temperatures endured lately.

Watford Observer: Watford's forecast weather, top, is set to be as warm as Barcelona (bottom) this week.Watford's forecast weather, top, is set to be as warm as Barcelona (bottom) this week. (Image: Met Office)

Longer-range forecast (May 3 – 12)

The longer-term forecast doesn’t sound quite so promising for the East of England, with some potentially rainy weather eventually making way for a drier spell.

A statement on the Met Office website says: “During the first weekend, northern parts of the UK are likely to be predominantly dry, while areas of rain or showers, perhaps heavy and thundery, clear erratically from the south to usher in a spell of drier weather here too.

“There is likely to be a fair amount of low cloud in the east at times, with spells of coastal fog, but also temperatures generally above average for the time of year. Through the following week, all areas are likely to see a mixture of periods of rain and drier interludes.”

Overall, northern areas are expected to be driest and sunniest while changeable conditions are more likely in the south. Temperatures are expected to remain close to or a little above normal for early May.