Greater Manchester and much of the UK is set to bask in glorious spring sunshine this week, with temperatures hitting up to 18°C.
After what had been a dry and sunny couple of days at the end of last week and over the weekend, the warmest day of the year so far was recorded in Kinlochewe in Highlands of Scotland on Saturday, when temperatures hit 20.2°C and beat the previous highest temperature of the year, 17.5°C, which was recorded in the village of Wiggonholt in West Sussex on Friday.
Now, forecasters at the Met Office have said there will be “plenty of sunny spells to come and temperatures will rise a little bit” in the week ahead.
Highs of 18°C are expected in Greater Manchester on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Here's a forecast for the weather for the week ahead: dry and bright by day, cold and frosty by night pic.twitter.com/vVZsv15vLR
Most of England is then predicted to stay at around 17°C or 18°C throughout the rest of the week and into the weekend – which will be warmer than the average for the end of March – but according to forecasters, the north of the UK is more realistically predicted to see highs of between 9°C and 12°C.
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Temperatures are expected to remain above average into next weekend, but will then drop slightly during the final few days of March.
But why are we getting this uncharacteristic warm weather? What is the reason for it?
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Well, according to Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst, the warm conditions are due to the jet stream tracking to the north of the UK, which is letting high pressure dominate from the east.
Greater Manchester and much of the UK is set to bask in spring sunshine this week / Credit: Flickr
He said: “This week is going to be very similar. We’re going to keep high pressure just to the east of the UK and that means it will be largely dry and settled with plenty of sunny spells.
“There is the odd exception, there could just be an isolated shower across the Midlands on Monday, perhaps northern England on Tuesday, but they’re going to be very isolated and most places will be dry and sunny.”
Channel 4 is looking for Mancs who think they can survive the apocalypse for a new TV series
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Have you always wanted to see how long you’d last in an apocalypse?
Well now’s your chance, as Apocalypse is potentially coming back to Channel 4 for a second series, with producers having put out a nationwide casting call for contestants willing to take part.
The casting call simply reads: “Do you think you have what it takes to survive the end of the world?”
Described as a dystopian series designed to test the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of our nation, Apocalypse sees players are pushed out of their comfort zones and put to the ultimate test.
In the series, ordinary people are tasked with surviving for 28 days in an abandoned city – used previously only for the military to practice urban warfare – with no food, running water, electricity or heat.
Produced by The Garden – which is part of ITV Studios – for Channel 4, the show’s creators are now calling on Mancs and people up and down the country with the ‘courage and ingenuity’ to compete, to get in touch and apply for the potential second series.
Does your mate always bang on after watching a post-apocalyptic film that they would’ve done things differently? Or is the news at the moment freaking you out and you want to give the end of the world a bit of a practice run? Either way, sign up, test that plan you’ve built in your head, and see if you’ve really got what it takes.
Applications are now open, and all you need to do is fill in a short application form and one of the production team will get back to you if they would like to proceed. Come on, let’s prove what Mancs are made of.
Hundreds of katsu curries are being given out for FREE in Manchester this week
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of katsu curries are being dished up and given out for free in Manchester this week, but only for certain people.
And those lucky people will be students.
That’s right… a new semester is upon us, and thousands of freshers and returning students are descending on the city and Manchester‘s many universities for another year. But the life of a student isn’t exactly the cheapest sometimes, especially for those who haven’t had to live on a budget before moving out or into halls.
But to make things a little easier, Tampopo has announced it’ll be serving hundreds of one of its most popular dishes for free this week.
Tampopo is celebrating National Katsu Curry Day in the most delicious way possible, by giving away 700 Katsu Curries with rice for free, exclusively to freshers and students this Sunday (27 September).
Whether you’re brand new to the city, settling back into uni life, or you’re simply in need of a katsu fix, students can head to their nearest participating Tampopo and tuck into a hearty meal without needing to spend a penny.
100 katsu curries will be available each from 12-2pm at both Tampopo restaurants in Manchester city centre – which are on Albert Square, and in the Corn Exchange – or if you head over to the Trafford Centre, both the Tampopo there and the East Street sites are taking part.
“[Our] Katsu Curry has long been one of our most-loved dishes, so National Katsu Curry Day felt like the perfect excuse to give students a proper welcome to the new academic year,” Tampopo said in a statement.
So, are you feeling hungry then? The offer is exclusively available for takeaway only to freshers and students with a valid student ID, which they must present on collection.
100 portions are available at each participating location, and just one free katsu curry with rice will be available per person.
Emily Sergeant -
21st March 2022 
