Bank hol 29C to smash record

FORECASTERS reckon today could become the hottest August Bank Holiday on record.

The Met Office expected the mercury to rise to 28C or 29C in the South East – warmer than Madrid.

And now the sunshine has finally returned after a rather drab August, experts are predicting September will bring an autumn heatwave.

Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said today will be “potentially the warmest late August Bank Holiday on record, which dates back to 1965”.

And he said there was a 20% chance of 30C– which would smash the 27.1C set in Santon Downham, Suffolk, on August 31, 2009.

The warmest weather will be in the South, Midlands and South Wales but it will still be pleasant further North, with up to 23C in Liverpool and Manchester. It caps off a sizzling bank holiday weekend where millions headed to beaches and parks.

And the warm spell is likely to go on for a while yet thanks to a band of high pressure. James Madden, for Exacta Weather, said: “This will bring a decent taste of late summer weather with prolonged periods of sunshine.”