IT'S hot out there — but you'd better get your skates on if you want to enjoy it while it lasts.
Sun-seekers up and down the country have been enjoying the glorious weather so far this week — but forecasters expect temperatures to dip in time for the weekend.
And there are even predictions of SNOW on the way in the north next week.
Today temperatures were closing on yesterday's record for the hottest day of the year at 23.6C at Aboyne, Scotland.
Sun-seekers ... Mel Keenan, Ellie Johnston and Amanda Bowers in Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear
Scorching sunshine has sent the mercury soaring towards 24C (75F) though the tinderbox conditions have brought hundreds of firefighters out to tackle wildfires destroying swathes of the countryside.
Across the South and Midlands Brits have already seen temperatures over 21C although the mercury is still to top Britain's hottest ever March day.
It was a sweltering 25.6C in Mepal, Cambs, on March 29, 1968.
However the recent unseasonable heatwave has delivered the hottest March for 44 years and has already broken five date temperature records — while a sixth could be set today.
But as schools break up for the Easter holidays this weekend forecasters expect temperatures to plummet to around 12C with sleet and snow possible in the north of the UK next week.
Met Office forecaster Charles Powell said: "Today and tomorrow most of the UK will see fine and sunny weather with temperatures between 20C and 22C.
"But the high pressure which has been giving us this lovely warm weather will then move to the west so there will be less warm air and more cloud and cooler temperatures.
"By Saturday the temperatures will be down to 12C and 13C. We will still get some bright weather but we will lose the wall to wall sunshine we have enjoyed.
"Next week it will be more unsettled with a risk of rain too. There's a possibility of a few flakes at the top of the Scottish mountains."