The summer sunshine “is not far away” after some stubborn drizzle as temperatures look set to hit more than 20C over the weekend in certain areas, forecasters have said.

The Met Office said warmer conditions are on the way, as Friday began with cloud across eastern and central parts of England – along with  sunny spells and shower elsewhere.

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern, in an online forecast, said: “It is the last day of meteorological spring and right on time spring showers are easing and summer’s sunshine is not far away as high pressure moves in from the west.

“That high pressure will settle things down for most of us, but not for all as we still have the influence of low pressure to the east that is bringing occluded fronts in from the North Sea over the next couple of days.”

This will see showery rain, a keen breeze that will feel cool from the North Sea and a lot of cloud through the Midlands, East Anglia, the South and South East on Friday morning.

Mr McGivern said sunny spells could see temperatures reach 18-20C, but figures could struggle to reach the mid-teens in breezy regions and along coastal areas.

Showers may also hit the West Midlands, parts of Wales and the South West – while there is plenty of fine and dry weather further north and west and into western Scotland, Northern Ireland and west Wales.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill added that “for large chunks over the weekend, it is going to feel pretty summery” – and there is a “decent amount of sunshine to come through this weekend”.

This is because high pressure is building from the west and this is set to dominate the weather from Friday and into the weekend.

Temperatures could reach 22-23C, particularly across the South under sunny skies on Sunday – while it will be a little cooler and cloudier in the North.