Summer’s back! Get ready for 82F

AFTER Storm Hector battered Britain with 70mph winds, it’s finally starting to feel like summer again.

Temperatures could hit 28C (82F) in the South East by Wednesday, as warm sunshine makes a welcome return.

Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said that after a grey start this morning, ‘the vast majority of England and Wales should be sunny’.

The settled conditions are set to continue towards the weekend, although cooler, fresher air is expected on Thursday and Friday due to a change in wind direction. Just last week, Storm Hector brought gales to northern and western Britain, with speeds of 100mph in the Scottish mountains.

Linked to an unusually deep area of low pressure, the storm caused travel disruption, power cuts and damaged buildings in north-west England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. While spared the worst, other parts of the UK experienced rain and cloud. Tomorrow, northern regions are due to have a bright start but could turn increasingly cloudy, with rain possible. Southern areas should start cloudy, but become sunny later. Mr Snell said temperatures could reach highs of 25C (77F) in the South but were unlikely to top 20C (68F) in the North.

‘Wednesday should hopefully be the best day of the week,’ he added. ‘The best of the sunshine is likely to be in the Midlands, East Anglia and South East but other areas will be pleasant, although they could have some cloud at times.’