It’s the post-Christmas heatwave! Temperatures in Britain could reach 59F today – hotter than Rome and Athens
- Temperatures could reach highs of 14-15C (57-59F), figures that are not normally achieved until April or May
- The warmest places are likely to be sheltered parts of North Wales and the North-East, the Met Office said
- In Athens predicted high is 9C (48F) today and 8C (46F) tomorrow and in Rome 11C (52F) is expected today
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Anyone itching to shed their Christmas jumper should be able to do so this weekend as a mini-heatwave leaves parts of the country warmer than cities around the Mediterranean.
Temperatures today and tomorrow could reach highs of 14-15C (57-59F), figures not normally achieved until April or May.
The average for this time of year in England and Wales is 7-9C (45-48F).
The warmest places are likely to be sheltered parts of North Wales and the North-East, the Met Office said.
People out punting on the River Cam in Cambridge on Friday afternoon as the weather starts to warm up and the rain stops
Unusually, the warmer spell is the result of an area of high pressure, which would typically bring cold and frosty weather from the Continent
Elsewhere, daytime temperatures today and tomorrow could reach highs of 12-13C (54-55F).
In Athens, meanwhile, the predicted high is 9C (48F) today and 8C (46F) tomorrow, while in Rome 11C (52F) is expected today and 9C (48F) tomorrow.
Unusually, the warmer spell is the result of an area of high pressure, which would typically bring cold and frosty weather from the Continent.
This time, however, it is trapping an area of cloud and mild air.
Fields are flooded near Harbridge, 2.5 miles north of Ringwood in Hampshire, after the river Avon burst its banks during the severe weather
The beginning of next week is set to turn chillier as the current area of high pressure is replaced by a second one bringing colder air. Pictured: flooding in Harbridge
Sunshine is likely to be limited and some rain is forecast, including a potentially heavy spell in the North-West today.
Emma Smith, of the Met Office, said Scotland and Northern Ireland could also expect wet and windy weather this weekend ‘but for many of us it is likely to be cloudy, drier and mild’.
The beginning of next week is set to turn chillier as the current area of high pressure is replaced by a second one bringing colder air.
A flooded street in Puddletown, in Dorset, after the river Piddle burst its banks. The flooding has continued into the after-Christmas period
Oscar, a west highland terrier, has an encounter with swans on the Calder and Hebble Navigation near Elland, West Yorkshire
The settled conditions follow wet and windy weather for much of November and December. Pictured: A car drives through floodwater near Harbridge
Parts of Wales could wake to frost on Monday and temperatures could fall to 1-2C (34-36F) even in southern England.
Tuesday could begin with fog but is expected to be mainly fine and dry into the night for New Year’s Eve.
The settled conditions follow wet and windy weather for much of November and December.