Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox In the coming days, Britons are expected to bask in a 'mini heatwave' with temperatures possibly soaring above 20C in up to 24 counties, according to advanced weather modelling maps. The Met Office has heralded a "good deal of settled weather" ahead for next month. Weather predictions from the GFS model suggest a warm start to May across the UK. On May 1, East Anglia could experience temperatures around 20C at midday, while much of the rest of England and Wales are likely to see highs between 18C and 19C. Even parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland are forecasted to enjoy highs of about 17C. The heat is set to intensify on May 2, as projections indicate the thermometer may climb to 21C in London and Southeast England later in the day. Meanwhile, vast areas of England and some regions in Wales might expect temperatures ranging from 19C to 20C. However, cooler air will persist in Scotland and Northern Ireland during this time, with the possibility of temperatures around 14C in Scottish border areas and not exceeding 11C in Northern Ireland, as shown in the GFS weather model, reports the Mirror. For early May, the Met Office's outlook anticipates average or maybe slightly higher than average temperatures. Detailing the period from May 2 to May 16, they predict: "Early May will probably see a good deal of settled weather with high pressure patterns most likely to dominate. There are signs that towards mid May, pressure may fall in the vicinity of the UK, bringing an increased chance of rain or showers. "Throughout this period, temperatures are expected to be near to a little above average, though some day to day and regional variability is to be anticipated." Netweather forecasters suggest that we can anticipate "predominantly dry and settled conditions" as April draws to a close and May begins. They predict temperatures will likely rise to be "mostly above the seasonal norm". The Netweather prediction for the period from April 28 to May 4 indicates: "There is a general signal for above-average pressure over the British Isles, pointing to a greater than average likelihood of predominantly dry and settled conditions for much of the week, though again probably nothing like as relentlessly dry and sunny as we saw during the first third of April. "Northerly and north-easterly winds may blow relatively frequently early in the week leading to near or slightly below average temperatures, but later in the week it will probably warm up, with temperatures ending up mostly above the seasonal norm during the second half of the week. The weather may turn more unsettled in the north-west late in the week as an Atlantic trough starts to move eastwards. "Overall, this week will probably be warmer, drier and sunnier than average for the majority of the UK, probably 1 to 2C warmer than average, but the signal for high pressure is relatively weak, with some uncertainty over the extent to which low pressure systems may sometimes come in off the North Atlantic in between ridges of high pressure, so confidence in this outcome is not high, though it looks the most likely outcome at this stage."