Parts of the UK are set to enjoy a reprieve from current temperatures as a bout of unseasonably warm weather is expected over the next few days and through the weekend, the Met Office has said.
There is a chance Scotland could experience its warmest December night on record, with temperatures in the east of the country potentially rising to around the current record of 12.5C on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, temperatures could reach 10C during the night in some areas of central England, compared with an average night-time temperature of 1.4C in December in the UK.
A jump is also expected in daytime temperatures with the South West possibly reaching 13C on Friday and Saturday, which is six degrees warmer than the December daytime average for the UK.
But the Met Office made clear that while the daytime jump was “unusual” it was less remarkable than its overnight counterpart.
The forecasting body said the UK exceeded 13C during the day in December last year.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, the Met Office said: “Unusually mild air for December will arrive from the sub-tropical Atlantic.
“This will lift temperatures widely above average, giving exceptionally mild conditions, particularly in some central and northern areas.”
Spokesman for the Met Office, Stephen Dixon, echoed predictions of “unseasonably mild” weather for December.
He told the PA news agency: “Things are generally kind of turning milder over the next few days as we get this Atlantic influence which has helped develop some of the wet and windy conditions we’ve seen, particularly in the North West.
“But we’re also seeing a ridge of higher pressure developing from the South West which is just helping to bring temperatures up above average for the time of year, through the weekend and into next week.”
Mr Dixon warned that there will likely be some “unsettled weather” accompanying the milder conditions, particularly in the North West where heavy rain is expected over the weekend.
The Met Office is currently unsure when temperatures will drop back down.
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