UK weather forecast: Hottest-ever February day may be recorded this week

The Met Office said warmer-than-average temperatures are expected to continue for the rest of the week.

Monday 18 February 2019 16:42, UK

A family going bodyboarding at the beach in Polzeath
Image: A family go body-boarding at the beach in Polzeath, Cornwall
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Britain could get record-breaking temperatures this weekend, with a small chance of matching the hottest February day of 19.7C (67.4F).

There are set to be above-average temperatures throughout the week after a mild beginning to the month.

Unseasonably mild weather resulted in the warmest Valentine's Day in more than 20 years, meaning the UK was hotter than Spain.

On Friday, a reading of 18.2C (64.8F) in Colwyn Bay, Wales, was recorded as the highest so far this month and the fourth-warmest February temperature in 12 years.

A man took advantage of the sunny weekend weather to fly a kite in New Polzeath, Cornwall
Image: A man took advantage of the sunny weekend weather to fly a kite in New Polzeath, Cornwall

Sky weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "This week we will continue with the mild conditions, although for the first half it is going to be rather unsettled with wet and windy weather at times.

"Towards the weekend it looks to become drier, brighter and warmer and temperatures will be widely above average for the time of year."

She said weekend temperatures "could get close" to the readings in north Wales last week.

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Met Office meteorologist Helen Roberts said the warmer-than-average temperatures are expected to continue for the rest of the week.

"It does look like we will continue to see temperatures above average for the time of year," she said.

Snowdrops in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Image: This year's February average is 9.8C, higher than the usual average of 8.2C

"We did have a particularly warm spell in the last part of the week but overall so far this month temperatures have on average been above normal - about 1.6 degrees above average across the UK."

The Met Office predicts that Monday morning will be mostly cloudy as a cold front clears east, with a chance of some sunny spells in the North East in the afternoon.

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A warm front will bring rain to the North West, where it will be windy, with temperatures of around 9C (48.2F) to 11C (51.8F) across the country.

It is expected to be wet and windy across the North on Tuesday, while the South will be drier. It will remain unsettled further northwest through Wednesday but will continue to get drier and brighter elsewhere.

A pair of great crested grebes mating on a nest partially built from discarded litter, on the South Quay of the Isle of Dogs
Image: A pair of great crested grebes on a nest on the South Quay of the Isle of Dogs

By Friday it will feel more like spring, with very mild air spreading in from the south and temperatures rising to 14C (57.2F) to 15C (59C) in the South East and South West, with a maximum temperature of 17C (62.6F).

This year's February average is 9.8C (49.64F) so far, higher than the usual average of 8.2C (46.76F).

The highest temperature recorded for the month was 19.7C (67.46F) in Greenwich, southeast London, in 1988.