Some of you have already been making the most of todays warm weather in different ways. Here are a few of the best images that we have seen so far:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Getty Images

Animals can also feel hot and bothered in the summer, particularly dogs as they‘re not able to cool down through sweating like humans. To keep pets safe and comfortable when temperatures soar, the RSPCA recommends the following:

• Never leave pets in hot cars, conservatories, outbuildings or caravans, even if it's just for a short while
• Using a pet-safe suncream on exposed parts of your pet's skin
• Making sure they have access to shade and to fresh water to keep them cool
• Put ice cubes in their water bowl
• Provide them with damp towels to lie on
• It’s best to walk a dog early in the morning or late in the evening when it‘s cooler, as paws can burn on a hot pavement

The charity also recommends checking pets for flystrike, external, a painful and sometimes fatal condition caused by flies laying their eggs on another animal.

Image source, PA Media

As our colleague Matt Taylor from BBC Weather has just reported, across southern England, the Midlands and Wales today, the pollen count is expected to be very high.

The main culprit triggering allergies this week is oak pollen, according to Dr Fiona Symon, an experimental officer in respiratory sciences at the University of Leicester.

She says: "Already we’ve seen more oak pollen than in any previous year since we started monitoring [in 2006]."

That means more people than usual are likely to be in the market for over the counter antihistamines.

To avoid symptoms, you should also keep doors and windows shut - including overnight - to keep pollen out of your home.

Dr Symon's other recommendations include opting for some trendy wraparound sunglasses to reduce the amount of pollen getting into your eyes, and putting vaseline around your nostrils to trap it.

Once you're home, change your clothes and take a shower to wash off the pollen, and avoid drying your clothes outside.

A 16-year-old boy has died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a lake in Nottingham.

Emergency services were called to Colwick Country Park when the boy went missing at 17:20 BST yesterday, Nottinghamshire Police says.

A police underwater search team and the fire service also responded, finding the boy's body just before 20:00.

"As in this tragic case, open water can have hidden dangers that can prove fatal and I would urge anyone who spends any time on or near open water to use this case as a devastating reminder of that – particularly during the recent warm weather we have been experiencing," Ch Insp David Mather from Nottinghamshire Police says in a statement.

Here's a reminder of how to stay safe in the water.

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

You’ll have noticed how the sunny and warm conditions of the last week have helped plants and trees spring to life, while also encouraging us to get outside and enjoy the blue skies.

The downside to this for those with pollen allergies is the increase in pollen levels, bringing on hay fever symptoms.

Tree pollen remains the most dominant right at the moment, with oak pollen now also circulating.

Today, high or very high pollen levels can be expected across England and Wales, but levels will be much lower in Scotland and Northern Ireland due to increased cloud and a drop in temperature.

Image source, Getty Images

As we’ve been reporting, one piece of guidance for keeping cool (and safe) during hot weather is to wear loose-fitting clothing and breathable fabrics, such as cotton.

But what about school uniforms?

Government guidance on this, external states that schools “could consider relaxing uniform rules during hot weather to make sure pupils are comfortable”.

“Children should wear loose, light-coloured clothing to help keep cool and sunhats with wide brims. When outdoors, encourage children to stay in the shade as much as possible.”

However, no specific temperature for when this should be considered is given - and it is up to individual schools to decide how the rules are relaxed.

We know they have been relaxed in the past, but if you’re unsure about what you or someone you know should be wearing, get in touch with your school.

Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

Image source, EPA

With strong May sunshine across England and Wales today, UV levels will be high.

Medium levels expected across Scotland and Northern Ireland, where there’ll be more cloud.

You can find out more about UV levels and our health here.

Analysis published a few weeks ago shows that spring is warming more quickly than other season in the UK, largely down to climate change.

A report by Climate Central, a research organisation, found that all four seasons are warming but at different rates.

The average spring temperature has increased by 1.8C since 1970, making it the fastest warming season for all four nations of the UK.

Autumn is the second fastest at 1.6C - as you can see from the graph below.

Image source, Getty Images

Andy Barr owns an 800-acre farm in Kent where he grows barley, wheat, beans and rapeseed. He has been telling BBC Radio 5 Live that the unseasonably hot weather is difficult to cope with.

“We’re having to do things in the fields very early and later in the evening to try and cope with the hot weather,” he says, adding that it also makes the crops “very stressed”.

“We [farmers] like nice boring weather. We like 21C, sunny and a bit of rain at night – not extremes.”

Barr says that what makes things more difficult is the changeability of the weather year to year. By the end of April last year, the area had seen around 150% of its annual rainfall. This year, it’s had as much as 12%.

“It’s tricky because, before last year, we were thinking it is getting hotter and warner every spring and we were faced with drought most springs and then last year we got an absolute deluge – we got exactly the opposite.”

One course of action farmers are considering is to grow crops that are traditionally found further south in Europe, but Barr says it takes time to build up business.

Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

Temperatures are around 7 to 13C (13 to 23F) above the average for early May.

The red colours on the temperature anomaly chart below show the extent of the warmer-than-average weather across the UK and into mainland Europe.

Spring can bring big swings in temperature depending on the wind direction - a northerly will bring cooler than average and southerly, warmer than average.

But this week we’ve had an area of high pressure blocked over the UK, with a sustained south-easterly air flow bringing warmer air combined with other factors which act to warm the air further day-on-day.

Scientists believe these blocked weather patterns are becoming more frequent with climate change and that can lead to more extreme weather.

Data from the independent climate research group Climate Central suggests that temperatures this week have been made five times more likely by human-induced climate change.

If you feel like this has been a particularly warm few weeks, you’re not wrong.

On Wednesday, temperatures hit a high of 26.7C - for context, the highest April temperature ever recorded is 29.4C - which was reached in London on 16 April 1949.

This April has been the warmest in seven years because of a blocked weather pattern.

While our weather systems are largely driven across the Atlantic, bringing a variety of conditions, sometimes the pattern gets stuck.

This means the weather gets static over a particular area and changes happen slowly.

High pressure has become established close to the UK, blocking the progress of rain-bearing weather systems with the jet stream (atmospheric winds that drive the systems) diverted away from our shores.

As that area of high pressure drifts slowly eastwards it is opening the door to a feed of south or south-easterly winds, bringing warm air from continental Europe.

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Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

While the heat builds today in England and Wales, for Scotland and Northern Ireland the peak of this warm spell was Wednesday.

The highest temperatures were 24.4C (76F) in Scotland (Aboyne) and 24.1C in Northern Ireland (Castlederg).

All change today though.

With a cold front moving south-eastward, there’s more cloud with some showery outbreaks of rain and cooler air behind it.

Temperatures will be 8 to 11 degrees lower than on Wednesday, with 12C in north-east Scotland and 14 to 18C more widely elsewhere - closer to the average for early May.

Francesca Gillett
Live reporter

Not that I’m feeling envious, but I’ve just compared the temperatures we’re having in Sydney at the moment to London where I usually live.

The centre of the city peaked at 18.2C (64.8F) on Wednesday and is similar today.

We also had 17mm (0.6 inches) of rain yesterday and another 14mm into this morning.

Don’t feel too sorry for us though... it is autumn down under and we’re forecast to have a few sunny days next week!

While for many the warmer weather is generally a welcome change after months of dreary winter, it can be a bit of a nuisance and pose some health risks for others.

Here are some reminders and pointers on how to stay cool and safe:

• Make sure you’re drinking enough water and eat foods with a high water content, such as watermelon and cucumbers, to avoid dehydration
• Wear loose-fitting clothing and breathable fabrics, such as cotton, linen and moisture-wicking synthetics
• Opt for a hat and sunglasses for extra protection and to avoid direct sunlight
• Stay in the shade - the NHS recommends avoiding the sun between 11:00 to 15:00 BST, generally the hottest part of the day
• Use fans, ice and cool showers to reduce your body temperature
• Close your windows during the day and open them at night when the temperature drops

Image source, PA Media

The London Fire Brigade has urged people to stay safe after a rise in water-related incidents.

Last year, its crews responded 565 times. So far this year, its boats have been deployed to more than 70 incidents already.

Assistant Commissioner Patrick Goulbourne warns that "even when the sun is shining, water temperatures can be dangerously cold".

He says: "Cold water shock can affect anyone, regardless of fitness or swimming ability. It can lead to water inhalation and, in the worst cases, drowning."

Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police warned of the dangers of swimming in rivers and lakes after the deaths of two children in London.

The RNLI is also urging people to choose a lifeguarded beach where possible, and to swim between red and yellow flags.

If you get into trouble, the advice is to Float to Live, external - and if you see someone struggling, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

While Wednesday was the warmest day of the year - with a maximum temperature of 26.7C (80F) recorded in Wisley, Surrey - Thursday is set to be even warmer across England and Wales.

Temperatures will climb quickly through the morning, reaching 24 to 29C this afternoon.

This would make it the warmest start to May on record, exceeding the previous record of 27.4C set in Lossiemouth in 1990.

While there is a small chance, I wouldn’t be surprised if we even perhaps nudge into 30C in the London area later today.

That’s significant because it would be the earliest date in the year the UK has recorded 30C since records began in 1860.

Adam Durbin
Live editor

For the last few weeks most of us have been able to enjoy the spring sunshine.

Well, it is about to get even warmer - and today we could see the hottest May Day on record.

Temperatures here in London could reach a sweltering 29C, while other parts of the UK are also expected to bask in the warm - though not all.

We have one eye this morning on the rail and London Underground networks to tell you if there are any heat-related problems, while our colleagues at BBC Weather will be bringing the most up-to-date forecasts.

For those heading outdoors, remember your suncream, breathable clothing and to embrace the shade during the hottest part of the day - plus we'll have some more tips on how to cope with the heat.