WITH Sunday predicted to be the hottest day of the year so far, East Yorkshire's tourism hotspots are hoping for a bumper weekend.
Visitors are expected to flock to the coast, with temperatures 16 degrees.
It makes a big difference from the icy winds, snow flurries and sub-zero temperatures which gripped the country in March.
The Met Office has said the warm weather – which will see highs of 21 degrees in other parts of the country – could last for a week.
Forecaster Charles Powell said: "East Yorkshire will fare pretty well over the weekend and the following seven days.
"Things will start to look up on Sunday, with outbreaks of sunshine and milder winds.
"Temperatures are expected to reach up to 16 degrees, which is five degrees higher than we would normally expect at this time of year.
"The cold, frosty and snowy nights of recent weeks will also disappear, with overnight temperatures in East Yorkshire peaking at six or seven degrees."
Mr Moo's ice cream in Skipsea, near Hornsea, is one of the region's many tourist attractions hoping to cash in on the warm weather.
Ice cream maker Jenny Deighton said: "We are really hoping the high temperatures will encourage more people to come to the east coast for days out.
"The majority of our customers are tourists, but we also sell ice cream to shops and businesses in East Yorkshire.
"The freezing weather has meant their demand for ice cream has been really low.
"We're hoping next week's heatwave will bring more people to Mr Moo's, where they can cool down with a range of ice cream flavours."
Staff in Hull's East Park are also expecting a rise in visitor numbers.
Margo Robertson, who volunteers in the park café, said: "We are hoping the sunny weather will encourage more people to visit the park.
"We are particularly expecting to see more dog walkers, families and pensioners."
Rail companies and airlines are also hoping the warm weather will result in fewer travel disruptions.
But Mr Powell warned that people hoping for a heatwave in East Yorkshire could be left disappointed.
The forecaster said: "The high temperatures will be teamed with rainy, cloudy and windy conditions.
"This is bound to make the weather feel colder than it actually is."
Last month was the coldest March since 1962, with an average temperature of just 2.2C.
It was also the second coldest in the UK since records began in 1910.
