By . Lizzie Parry . and Sam Creighton . Southeast England is looking forward to the first summer evening of the year this Sunday, as high temperatures and a late sunset come together to create a rare golden afternoon. Swathes of the South will be revelling in the sunshine all weekend, with temperatures soaring to 19C on Saturday and 20C on Sunday. The mild weather is another dramatic shift as, even today, parts of the North and Southwest were buried under a layer of snow. This snowfall is expected to continue, particularly the Dartmoor area, tomorrow, but will be thawing by the start of the weekend. A car battles through the frost on Dartmoor. Weather today and tomorrow is predicted to be chilly, despite forecasts for temperatures of up to 20C this weekend . Frost covering Princetown, Dartmoor. Wintry showers and hail storms have also been reported across the country in what could be the last gasp of the winter months . Snow has been settling on Dartmoor just days before the start of British Summer Time should mark the shift in seasons . As well as the higher temperatures in the South, caused by warm air blowing in from the continent and moving up the country, this Sunday marks the beginning of British Summer Time (BST), meaning the clocks move forward by one hour. As a result, sunset in the Southeast - which will enjoy the warmest evening - will not be until 7.31pm. The high of 20C on Sunday is twice the average for this time of year and will see the mercury rise higher here than in Athens, Greece or Algiers, Algeria and match, degree for degree, the temperature in Tehran, Iran. It will be twice as hot in southeast England as in Ankara, Turkey. Even hay fever sufferers will be able to enjoy the weather, with the pollen count peaking at a moderate level in central and southern England and remaining low across the rest of the country. UV levels will also remain low, peaking in the southeast, at midday on Saturday, at just three out of six. However, it won't be sunbathing weather for everyone as temperatures will be closer in the northern regions. The coldest area will be northern Scotland, particularly the Shetland Isles, where the Met Office predicts an optimistic high of 8C. The weather forecast for the next three days. Unsettled weather today and tomorrow will give way to a milder weekend, with temperatures peaking on Sunday . The sharp change in the weather is just another instance in a year of extremes for the British climate . While Dartmoor, pictured, is cold at the moment, it will have milder weather by Saturday. However, northern regions of the UK will be chilly throughout the weekend . A car navigates frosty roads near Widecombe-In-The-Moor in Devon. Next week should see temperatures settle into the teens with the possibility of showers . A last shot of winter has hit parts of Britain with a flurry of snow before temperatures are set to rise at the weekend. Parts of south west England received a dusting of white as well as higher ground on the Cumbrian and Northumberland border. Wintry showers and hail storms have also been reported across the country. Snow ploughs were seen clearing snow near Hartside Top Cafe, in Cumbria, which claims to be the highest cafe in England. Paul Knightley, forecast manager at MeteoGroup, said: 'There's been a covering of snow over Dartmoor, some in places in Scotland and other parts of high ground. 'Over the next few hours a few more showers of snow will continue towards the south west of England and a little bit for the Pennines too. Cumbria and Northumberland are two regions currently blanketed in snow, the North and Southwest will get more cold weather before it improves on the weekend . Temperatures this week have been average or just below for this time of year but this weekend will soar to twice what would be normally expected . The weather in Nenthead, on the Cumbria and Northumberland border, has been snowy and will get further light showers today and tomorrow . A terrier, Woody, plays with ponies in Dartmoor. The snow may be gone in a matter of days but people are making the best of it while they can . 'As we get towards the weekend there will be a change in the wind which will pull warm air from the continent and temperatures in London might get up to the 19 or 20 degrees.' 'Some areas will enjoy the warmer weather but there also will be exceptions. Further to the east and above the Humber area there be will a south east wind which will be chilly.' However, for the rest of the country, the reappearance of the sun means the chill will begin to melt away. Dan Williams from the Met Office . said: 'It is looking mainly dry, with a fair bit of cloud, but some . brighter spells in the far west, so parts of west Wales and southwestern . England on both Saturday and Sunday. 'After seeing a some slightly normal temperatures for this time of year - perhaps slightly cooler during this week - as of Saturday we should see temperatures get a bit of a bump up. 'We could see 19 or 20 maybe, perhaps . in the southeast of England, as we see warmer weather move up from the . continent, bringing slightly warmer temperatures than we have seen . recently. 'The average maximum temperature for this time of year . is about 10 degrees in England. But while temperatures will be a above . average, it is not unusual to see them rise above average.' However, . as the clocks go forward an hour on Sunday and we all lose some sleep, . the prospect of summer is not something all Britons can look forward to. Mr Williams warned that . northeastern and eastern parts of the UK will still feel the chill that . gripped much of the nation this week. He said: 'It will continue to feel fairly chilly and it will be colder in the northeast with some showers expected on Sunday.' However, he added that come Monday, most of the country will see temperatures in their mid-teens, despite the risk of some more rain. Scientists have discovered a shift in the seasons, with spring arriving early and autumn being delayed. Peter . Atkinson, professor of geography at the University of Southampton, has . examined satellite images of vegetation across the northern hemisphere . from the past 25 years and found signs that winter is becoming shorter. Earlier . this month, supermarkets Waitrose and Tesco both announced that English . strawberries were ripening early and hitting the shelves a week earlier . than last year. Professor . Atkinson said: 'There is much speculation about whether our seasons are . changing and if so, whether this is linked to climate change. Our study . is another significant piece in the puzzle, which may ultimately answer . this question.' The . researchers examined a range of vegetation types with forests which . have not been affected by human intervention acting as the best . signifier for the changing seasons. The . most pronounced change found by the researchers was in the broad-leaved . deciduous and needle-leaved deciduous forest groups, showing that . autumn is becoming significantly later with an early onset of spring. Professor . Atkinson said: 'Previous studies have reported trends in the start of . spring and end of autumn, but we have studied a longer time period and . controlled for forest loss and vegetation type, making our study more . rigorous and with a greater degree of accuracy. 'Our . research shows that even when we control for land cover changes across . the globe, a changing climate is significantly altering the vegetation . growth cycles for certain types of vegetation. Such changes may have . consequences for the sustainability of the plants themselves, as well as . species which depend on them, and ultimately the climate through . changes to the carbon cycle.' The . project, which involved scientists from the Department of Remote . Sensing at the Birla Institute of Technology in India, is published in . the journal Remote Sensing of the Environment. Snow ploughs were seen clearing snow near Hartside Top Cafe, in Cumbria, which claims to be the highest cafe in England . After a warm weekend, temperatures will settle into the teens for next weeks and some showers can be expected across the country . With snow still falling in part of the country, is hard to believe that temperatures on Sunday will be higher than those in Turkey and Greece . The scene today in Cumbria. Parts of the country are still covered in a snow but, while this is predicted to continue today and tomorrow, it will be thawing by the weekend .
Late sunset and warm temperatures will give first summer evening to the Southeast .
Temperatures in the Southeast on Sunday will hit 20C, higher than those in Turkey, Greece and Algeria .
The further north you go, the colder it will be, with highs in northern Scotland peaking at 8C .
Despite temperatures being set to soar, snow is forecast across the parts of the country for today and tomorrow .
By . Lizzie Parry . and Sam Creighton . Southeast England is looking forward to the first summer evening of the year this Sunday, as high temperatures and a late sunset come together to create a rare golden afternoon. Swathes of the South will be revelling in the sunshine all weekend, with temperatures soaring to 19C on Saturday and 20C on Sunday. The mild weather is another dramatic shift as, even today, parts of the North and Southwest were buried under a layer of snow. This snowfall is expected to continue, particularly the Dartmoor area, tomorrow, but will be thawing by the start of the weekend. A car battles through the frost on Dartmoor. Weather today and tomorrow is predicted to be chilly, despite forecasts for temperatures of up to 20C this weekend . Frost covering Princetown, Dartmoor. Wintry showers and hail storms have also been reported across the country in what could be the last gasp of the winter months . Snow has been settling on Dartmoor just days before the start of British Summer Time should mark the shift in seasons . As well as the higher temperatures in the South, caused by warm air blowing in from the continent and moving up the country, this Sunday marks the beginning of British Summer Time (BST), meaning the clocks move forward by one hour. As a result, sunset in the Southeast - which will enjoy the warmest evening - will not be until 7.31pm. The high of 20C on Sunday is twice the average for this time of year and will see the mercury rise higher here than in Athens, Greece or Algiers, Algeria and match, degree for degree, the temperature in Tehran, Iran. It will be twice as hot in southeast England as in Ankara, Turkey. Even hay fever sufferers will be able to enjoy the weather, with the pollen count peaking at a moderate level in central and southern England and remaining low across the rest of the country. UV levels will also remain low, peaking in the southeast, at midday on Saturday, at just three out of six. However, it won't be sunbathing weather for everyone as temperatures will be closer in the northern regions. The coldest area will be northern Scotland, particularly the Shetland Isles, where the Met Office predicts an optimistic high of 8C. The weather forecast for the next three days. Unsettled weather today and tomorrow will give way to a milder weekend, with temperatures peaking on Sunday . The sharp change in the weather is just another instance in a year of extremes for the British climate . While Dartmoor, pictured, is cold at the moment, it will have milder weather by Saturday. However, northern regions of the UK will be chilly throughout the weekend . A car navigates frosty roads near Widecombe-In-The-Moor in Devon. Next week should see temperatures settle into the teens with the possibility of showers . A last shot of winter has hit parts of Britain with a flurry of snow before temperatures are set to rise at the weekend. Parts of south west England received a dusting of white as well as higher ground on the Cumbrian and Northumberland border. Wintry showers and hail storms have also been reported across the country. Snow ploughs were seen clearing snow near Hartside Top Cafe, in Cumbria, which claims to be the highest cafe in England. Paul Knightley, forecast manager at MeteoGroup, said: 'There's been a covering of snow over Dartmoor, some in places in Scotland and other parts of high ground. 'Over the next few hours a few more showers of snow will continue towards the south west of England and a little bit for the Pennines too. Cumbria and Northumberland are two regions currently blanketed in snow, the North and Southwest will get more cold weather before it improves on the weekend . Temperatures this week have been average or just below for this time of year but this weekend will soar to twice what would be normally expected . The weather in Nenthead, on the Cumbria and Northumberland border, has been snowy and will get further light showers today and tomorrow . A terrier, Woody, plays with ponies in Dartmoor. The snow may be gone in a matter of days but people are making the best of it while they can . 'As we get towards the weekend there will be a change in the wind which will pull warm air from the continent and temperatures in London might get up to the 19 or 20 degrees.' 'Some areas will enjoy the warmer weather but there also will be exceptions. Further to the east and above the Humber area there be will a south east wind which will be chilly.' However, for the rest of the country, the reappearance of the sun means the chill will begin to melt away. Dan Williams from the Met Office . said: 'It is looking mainly dry, with a fair bit of cloud, but some . brighter spells in the far west, so parts of west Wales and southwestern . England on both Saturday and Sunday. 'After seeing a some slightly normal temperatures for this time of year - perhaps slightly cooler during this week - as of Saturday we should see temperatures get a bit of a bump up. 'We could see 19 or 20 maybe, perhaps . in the southeast of England, as we see warmer weather move up from the . continent, bringing slightly warmer temperatures than we have seen . recently. 'The average maximum temperature for this time of year . is about 10 degrees in England. But while temperatures will be a above . average, it is not unusual to see them rise above average.' However, . as the clocks go forward an hour on Sunday and we all lose some sleep, . the prospect of summer is not something all Britons can look forward to. Mr Williams warned that . northeastern and eastern parts of the UK will still feel the chill that . gripped much of the nation this week. He said: 'It will continue to feel fairly chilly and it will be colder in the northeast with some showers expected on Sunday.' However, he added that come Monday, most of the country will see temperatures in their mid-teens, despite the risk of some more rain. Scientists have discovered a shift in the seasons, with spring arriving early and autumn being delayed. Peter . Atkinson, professor of geography at the University of Southampton, has . examined satellite images of vegetation across the northern hemisphere . from the past 25 years and found signs that winter is becoming shorter. Earlier . this month, supermarkets Waitrose and Tesco both announced that English . strawberries were ripening early and hitting the shelves a week earlier . than last year. Professor . Atkinson said: 'There is much speculation about whether our seasons are . changing and if so, whether this is linked to climate change. Our study . is another significant piece in the puzzle, which may ultimately answer . this question.' The . researchers examined a range of vegetation types with forests which . have not been affected by human intervention acting as the best . signifier for the changing seasons. The . most pronounced change found by the researchers was in the broad-leaved . deciduous and needle-leaved deciduous forest groups, showing that . autumn is becoming significantly later with an early onset of spring. Professor . Atkinson said: 'Previous studies have reported trends in the start of . spring and end of autumn, but we have studied a longer time period and . controlled for forest loss and vegetation type, making our study more . rigorous and with a greater degree of accuracy. 'Our . research shows that even when we control for land cover changes across . the globe, a changing climate is significantly altering the vegetation . growth cycles for certain types of vegetation. Such changes may have . consequences for the sustainability of the plants themselves, as well as . species which depend on them, and ultimately the climate through . changes to the carbon cycle.' The . project, which involved scientists from the Department of Remote . Sensing at the Birla Institute of Technology in India, is published in . the journal Remote Sensing of the Environment. Snow ploughs were seen clearing snow near Hartside Top Cafe, in Cumbria, which claims to be the highest cafe in England . After a warm weekend, temperatures will settle into the teens for next weeks and some showers can be expected across the country . With snow still falling in part of the country, is hard to believe that temperatures on Sunday will be higher than those in Turkey and Greece . The scene today in Cumbria. Parts of the country are still covered in a snow but, while this is predicted to continue today and tomorrow, it will be thawing by the weekend .
England is looking forward to the first summer weather, with the pollen count peaking at a will be northern Scotland, particularly the optimistic high of 8C. The weather forecast for northeastern and eastern parts of the UK will across the country . With snow still falling in temperatures on Sunday will be higher than those in Turkey and Greece . The scene today in continue today and tomorrow, it will be thawing