The weather’s gone Med
Temperatures to hit highs of 17C ..but gales blow in later this week
MANY of us will continue to enjoy a brief taste of spring today with temperatures soaring as high as 17C in some parts of the UK.
A plume of air from the Caribbean caused the mercury to rise to double figures at the weekend.
But enjoy it while it lasts because cooler conditions and gales are around the corner.
Today conditions will be “exceptionally mild”, heading for 17C in the South East – hotter than the Spanish island of Ibiza at 15C and matching Benidorm.
Highs of 15C or 16C are likely elsewhere in the East, even as far north as Aberdeen.
Leeds, Bristol and Liverpool can expect 12C, Birmingham 13C and Glasgow 11C. It led Ladbrokes to slash the odds to 6/4 on today breaking Britain’s 19.7C record February temperature – set on February 13, 1998, in Greenwich, South East London.
Spokesman Alex Donohue said: “The betting is hotting up as punters pile in on record February highs.” While it will be mild everywhere today, the Met Office predicted an “east/west split”. Forecaster Marco Petagna said: “Across eastern areas it will be a dry day with sunny spells at times. “In the west and north-west the cloud will be thicker and there will be increasing fog in the afternoon.” On the change later in the week, Mr Petagna added: “There will be a trend for temperatures to slowly come back down... with a fairly unsettled picture developing. “Tuesday night could see gales in the north and north-east of Scotland with gusts over 50mph, while any exposed areas across the UK will see those gales on Thursday. It will be blustery for many.”