Is there going to be a heatwave this week?

The weather over the last few weeks has given us everything from hail, heavy rain and cold temperatures to more average sun and clouds.

But BBC Weather says that parts of the UK are preparing for a possible heatwave ahead of this bank holiday weekend.

Over the next few days temperatures could start to climb, reaching as high as 28C by the weekend.

For some schools this comes just in time for the start of the half term break.

Forecasters have said that by Wednesday temperatures will likely be up to 21C, and on Thursday and Friday could reach up to 28C in south-eastern parts of England.

This would be the warmest weather of the year so far.

The highest temperature so far this year has been 26.6 Celsius, recorded at Kew Gardens in London in early April.

Although not everywhere will be quite as warm, many places could see temperatures reaching 20-26C over the long weekend.

But the warmer weather doesn't mean it's goodbye to rain.

There could be some showers around on Saturday, particularly in Scotland, Wales and western parts of England.

There might also be showers on Sunday in southern England.

The main reason for the warmer weather is a change in the wind direction.

It was colder last week because the wind was blowing from the north - but this week sees the beginning of south-westerly winds blowing in from the Atlantic.

Later in the week the wind will be blowing from the south, and that is when it really warms up.

The UK weather agency, the Met Office, defines a heatwave as when there are at least three days in a row with temperatures unusually hot for the time of year.

But this standard can be different depending on where in the country you live.

For example, in Greater London it could be 28C, whereas in Northern Ireland, the prediction is more like 25C.

BBC Weather has said that it is possible that a few places could meet the heatwave definition during Friday, Saturday and Sunday, most likely Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

If showers develop over the bank holiday weekend, however, this could cool things down.