T-shirts in October? Get used to it – tropical autumn is the new normal

Beach days, ice cream vans, and weather for shorts – it was the hottest September since records began. With another balmy weekend in store, Nick Harding looks at why you are going to have to rethink what autumn means from now on

Sunbathers bask in Potters Field Park near London Bridge during the hottest September on record (PA)

It’s the first full weekend of October, almost halfway through meteorological autumn, and the Christmas Shop has already opened at John Lewis, with festive selection boxes on the shelves at the Co-op. So, that can only mean one thing: shorts, T-shirts, barbecues, and packed beaches.

Chances are you still haven’t cleared away the sunscreen from your summer holidays yet, which is just as well because, according to meteorologist Alex Burkill, it’s going to be a weekend of high temperatures, with Sunday hovering around 25C, possibly reaching up to 27C.

In anticipation of out-of-season swimmers venturing into unguarded waters, the RNLI has issued a warning advising anyone who gets into trouble to float, tilt their head back with their ears submerged, try to relax, and breathe normally.