Out of Africa... 31C
More to come as Saharan blast sends us scurrying to the sands
IT was back to the beaches for thousands of families yesterday as hot Saharan air currents took temperatures into the high 20s.
And the unseasonal blast is set to continue today and tomorrow, with parts of the South East likely to reach 30C.
The highest temperature recorded yesterday was 25.6C in Cavendish, Suffolk, according to the Met Office.
Forecasters say the peak of the mini heatwave could leave Britain warmer even than Phuket in Thailand.
Met Office expert Craig Snell said: “After a relatively cooler period for a couple of weeks we will see the return of summer weather. The next few days will be around 10C above the average for this time of year.
“It will be hottest in the South-East but very warm for a lot of the country.
“We sometimes see high temperatures even in October so this may not be the last blast. But certainly the chances of getting above 30 this late in the year will be reducing day by day.” Photos showed packed parks and beaches around the country, including Lyme Regis, Dorset, Perranporth in Cornwall and Barry in South Wales.
But sunseekers were also out in force further north, including at Formby beach in Merseyside, where Miss Liverpool hopeful Sara Omar, 25, was among those enjoying the waves.
The average temperature for mid-September is 17C in the North and 20C in the South.
If they manage to nudge one degree higher than forecast to 32C, it would be the latest in the year that has ever been recorded, going back to 1841.
The unexpected high is due to a 1,500-mile-wide front of warm air being sucked up from Africa by the jet stream.
Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze said: “Summer is returning in spectacular style.
“And with warmer- thanaverage temperatures forecast further into autumn, even October is expected to see 23C.”
From Wednesday, temperatures will fall back towards average – but the majority of the country will remain dry for most of the week.
The next few days will be some 10C above the average for this time of year
CRAIG SNELL MET OFFICE FORECASTER PREDICTS A BALMY START TO THE WEEK