UK enjoys unseasonably mild weather

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The recent cold snap was a distant memory for parts of England today as temperatures reached more than 18C.

The Midlands, East Anglia, southern and south east England all enjoyed unseasonably mild weather.

As of 2.30pm the warmest recorded temperature was 18.7C (65.7F) in Coleshill, Birmingham.

The mercury reached 16C (60.8F) in London but conditions were gloomy in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, where temperatures were around 12C (53.6F).

Rachel Vince, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It's unseasonably mild. It's not unheard-of to get these temperatures in February but it doesn't happen every year."

Today is unlikely to set any records - the warmest February day in the UK was in Cambridge in 1891, with a reading of 19.4C (66.9F).

There have also been readings of 18C (64.4F) in 2007 and 17C (62.6F) in 1998.

Ms Vince said: "Today will be the mildest day of the week. This weekend it won't be particularly wet but there will be a lot more cloud."

Maximum temperatures are expected to reach 11C (51.8F) on Saturday and 12C (53.6F) on Sunday.