A large area of high pressure centred over continental Europe will extend across the UK this week, bringing increasingly settled conditions with dry and sunny weather for many as we head towards the weekend.  This in combination with milder, southerly winds means temperatures will gradually rise day by day to around 15 to 18 °C for parts of the country on Friday and Saturday.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: “By the weekend we could see temperatures almost 10 degrees higher than what we might normally expect at this time of year, so there will certainly be a spring-like feel in the air across the country. 

“North-western parts of the UK will be wet and windy at times this week, but settled conditions will spread to all parts of the country by the weekend, bringing plenty of sunshine and unseasonably mild temperatures that could well compete with current February temperature records.”

The current record maximum temperature for February is 19.7 °C, set in London on 13 February 1998.  The highest February temperature on record for Wales is 18.6 °C recorded in Powys in 1990, 17.9 °C in Aberdeen, Scotland recorded in 1897 and 17.8 °C in Bryansford, Northern Ireland, recorded in 1998. 

Looking beyond next week, Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Chris Tubbs, said: “Although temperatures next week may not be as high as what we’re expecting this weekend, it looks like temperatures will stay on the mild side for the rest of February.”

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