The heat is on!

BRITAIN is set for a mini blast of tropical warmth this week as mild air from the Atlantic looks set to dislodge the leftover chill from last week’s sub-zero freeze.

Temperatures are on course to spike this weekend into next week as mild tropical air mass sweeps across the country.

Most places in the south will enjoy temperatures in the low to midteens C, as the mercury rises up to 6C above the seasonal average.

Maximum values are expected to soar to 16C in the southeast today around 14C warmer than it was this time last week.

The warmer outlook will be brought to Britain due to a change in wind direction, with a southwesterly airflow expected to usher in more humid conditions from the Atlantic.

But despite the milder conditions, clear skies and sunny spells are not guaranteed, according to forecasters.

The south-westerly flow will lead to much more, cloudy, muggy and damp weather, with heavy downpours set to soak all of the country as the ‘Pest from the West’ heads towards Britain.

The forecast will be a marked change from the bitter easterly flow last week, which caused intense snow showers and temperatures to plunge below freezing widely.

Katie Greening, forecaster of The Weather Channel, says warmth will spill into Western Europe from the weekend until the middle of next week as a series of deep low pressure cells blast the UK.

She said: “Temperatures will lift 5 or 6C above the seasonal average as tropical air pools northward over Europe this week - wiping out any risk of overnight frost or ice.

“The jet stream will be positioned across southern Europe, directing a conveyor belt of lows toward Western Europe.

“As a result, a deep and vigorous low will approach western Europe over the weekend and into the early part of next week.

“Associated to the system will be some bands of rain, generally showery, heavy and thundery at times, and falling as snow over high ground.”

The rain, in combination with snowmelt from rising temperatures may lead to localised flooding.

The worst of the wet and windy conditions is likely to be across the south and west on Saturday, while more snow is forecast and will affect the north, mainly on the hills.

There will be a brief sunny interlude across the country on Sunday in time for Mother’s Day, before more bands of heavy rain spread northwards from the southwest.

The mild and unsettled theme is expected to continue into next week as low pressure systems continue to dominate the UK weather front.

The cause of this changeable and unsettled but mild weather is down to a tropical maritime air mass moving across the British Isles from southwest of the Atlantic.

There are six main types of air mass in total that each control temperatures and the level of humidity in the UK.

They all bring a mixture of weather conditions to the country, from sizzling Spanish heat one day to an icy Arctic blast the next, which is why every air mass is typically named after the area they originate from.

The six basic types include arctic or Antarctic, tropical, equatorial, polar, continental or maritime.