Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK weather forecast: Hottest-ever February day may be recorded this week as Britain braces for balmy weekend

Thermometers could hit 18C, close to the all-time high of 19.7C, forecasters believe

Jane Dalton
Monday 18 February 2019 22:10 GMT
Comments
UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast

Temperatures will rise to near-record levels for February over the weekend as warm weather spreads across the UK, the Met Office has said.

The mercury could hit 18C this Saturday in some places, and most areas will see a lot of sunshine, forecasters say.

The warm, sunny weather will contrast with the same time last year, when Britain was braced for the arrival of the Beast from the East, which took hold at the start of March.

The warmest February since records began was in 1998, when temperatures reached 19.7C in Greenwich, south-east London.

“There is an outside chance we could get close to that,” said a Met Office spokesman.

In Scotland the balmy weather may also be close to beating the February record of 17.9C, as the forecast is for 16C this Saturday.

“Scotland could get into mid-teens, possibly a little bit higher, possibly the record could be broken,” the Met Office said.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Last week the unusually mild spell meant the UK was hotter than Spain on Valentine’s Day.

The weather is predicted to turn dry and sunny as this week goes on, before pressure builds up at the weekend.

Additional reporting by PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in