Met Office says Sunday temperatures this weekend could push the mercury as high as 81F (27C), nearing October’s highest ever heat
- Some parts of Great Britain could be hotter than Barcelona this weekend
An unseasonable warm spell could push the mercury as high as 81F (27C) this weekend, the Met Office has warned.
Following a soggy end to September, warm weather is on the way for much of the UK, though heavy, persistent rain remains in the forecast for Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England over the next few days.
The forecaster has issued yellow weather warnings for rain which will be in place from today until the end of the day on Friday. The front could bring up to 100mm of rain for some high ground and around 50mm more widely.
But by Sunday, it’ll be widely dry and sunny for most, with temperatures nearing October’s highest ever heat possible in some areas, meteorologists predict. The south of England could match temperatures at European holiday destinations such as Athens (25C) and be hotter than Barcelona, where the Met Office has predicted 24C temperatures.
Temperatures could also hit 26C in some places in the South East, making it as hot as Ibiza this weekend, according to the forecaster.
Following a soggy end to September, warm weather is on the way for much of the UK, though heavy, persistent rain remains in the forecast for Northern Ireland , Scotland and northern England over the next few days. Pictured: The River Thames in Windsor, Berkshire on Monday
But by Sunday, it’ll be widely dry and sunny for most, with temperatures nearing October’s highest ever heat possible in some areas, meteorologists predict
The south of England could match temperatures at European holiday destinations such as Athens (25C) and be hotter than Barcelona, where the Met Office has predicted 24C temperatures
The upbeat predictions cover all areas of the UK except the north-west of Scotland, which is set to be wet and windy once again.
‘The jet steam is going to push its way northwards ahead of the weekend, which will allow for some very warm air to come in from the south,’ Meteorologist Alex Burkill said today.
‘As we go into the weekend frontal systems will remain trailing across Scotland as this warm air moves into the south.
For many further south it will be a fine, dry day on Saturday with temperatures getting to highs of around 25C, which is unusually warm for the time of year.’
The hottest temperature recorded in the UK in October was on October 1, 2011 in Gravesend, where temperatures reached 29.9C.
Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said: ‘An unseasonably warm spell is likely for those in the south of the UK as we head towards the weekend.’
He added: ‘That being said in the next couple of days there are periods of rain moving in from the west on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.’
A blast of tropical air is heading to Britain which is igniting hopes of an Indian summer with temperatures hitting 77F by the end of the week
Temperatures could hit 26C in some places in the South East, making it as hot as Ibiza this weekend, according to the forecaster
Mr Dixon predicted rain will stick around through the work week with those furthest south in England possibly escaping some of the showers.
‘In the South East over the weekend we could be getting up to 25 degrees Celsius, possibly touching 26 in some spots, and feeling relatively pleasant in that sunshine through the weekend in the south with some good spells of sunshine likely as well,’ he continued.
The forecaster added that the north of England and parts of Northern Ireland could also see temperatures in the high teens.
The average October temperature for the UK is 13C, according to the Met Office.
The unseasonably warm weather forecast follows a fortnight when remnants of successive tropical hurricanes brought wet and windy conditions to many areas.
The first half of this week has been unsettled with rain and thunderstorms, with a lightning strike causing a dramatic explosion at a gas-fired power plant in Oxfordshire on Monday night.
Despite the wet end to September, the month was the joint-warmest since records began in 1884, with a mean daily temperature of 15.2C (59.4F) matching the record set in 2006.
The average October temperature for the UK is 13C, according to the Met Office. Pictured is a ogger running in Kensington Gardens at sunrise today
People out and about in Greenwich Park in London yesterday making the most of the sunny October
And the heatwave at the start of the month, which saw the UK’s daytime high hit at least 30C for seven consecutive days, was the longest recorded September warm spell – and brought the warmest day of the year, with 33.5C (92.3F) recorded at Kew Gardens.
But the wetter end to the month – including Storm Agnes last week – meant UK average rainfall totalled 4.7in, 31 per cent more than average for September.
The average mean temperature across the country was 15.2C, equalling the previous record set in 2006 – something that would have been ‘practically impossible’ without human-led climate change, the Met Office said.
It means five of the top 10 warmest Septembers have taken place this century.
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