Warm weather for Britain

UK set for 10-day spring SCORCHER as 'mammoth' area of high pressure drags in warm front

BRITAIN is set for a 10-day spring SCORCHER with temperatures set to nudge 65F (18.5C) for almost TWO WEEKS.

the Express,

13 March, 2014

_{A “mammoth” area of high pressure wedged over the UK is dragging warm air in from the continent and show NO SIGNS of budging.}

_{Experts say it is similar to the front which triggered last year’s near THREE-WEEK HEATWAVE with a repeat on the cards is another high pressure system arrives.}

_{It means Britain could be about to bask in a run of scorching sunshine similar to last July when for 19 days thermometers reached 82F (28C) or above.}

_{Coming after the wettest winter on record it means Britain is now on course for the driest March with hardly any rainfall so far this month.}

_{Britain has so far basked in temperatures higher than Greece and the Mediterranean with the mercury touching 69F (20.5C) in Kent at the weekend.}

_{weather latest, weather UKPeople enjoy the good weather in a riverside cafe by the Thames in London [AP]}

_{It is going to stay fairly mild with temperatures dropping slightly to more normal values though creeping up again on Sunday}

_{But the best is yet to come with experts expecting another scorcher this Sunday to tempt Britons to beaches and parks in their droves.}

_{Experts said it is unlikely to dip below 63F (17C) for the next 10 days with little or no rain making this month a contender for the driest March on record.}

_{It means the UK will continue to put sunny spots like Madeira, Portugal, Tenerife and Alicante, in Spain, in the shade.}

_{However conditions are ideal for thick morning mists promoting warnings of potentially disruptive fog over the next few days.}

_{Jonathan Powell, forecaster for Vantage Weather Services, said with no significant downpours expected this month could beat March 1927 when just 0.6 inches [17mm] of rain fell.}

_{He said: “This mammoth area of high pressure is expected to stay sat right over us for at least another 10 days.}

_{“It is going to bring more glorious conditions with temperatures expected to stay around 17C (63F) or even 18C (64F) at the weekend.}

_{“It is a similar stubborn high to which we saw during the very hot weather last summer, it is also going to stay very dry, this could be the driest March on record.}

_{“The only down side is all the right ingredients are there for some quite problematic fog, and we could see this developing over the next couple of mornings.”}

_{The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for fog across most of the south today (Thursday) and urged people to expect travel problems.}

_{A spokesman said: “Where it forms it [fog] is likely to be dense at times, especially in low-lying areas.}

_{“The public should be aware of the potential for some difficult driving conditions and disruption to travel, particularly during the morning rush hour.”}

_{However temperatures are expected to stay near to or above average for the time of year with another glorious weekend likely.}

_{Spokeswoman Nicky Maxey said: “It is going to stay fairly mild, with temperatures dropping slightly to more normal values though creeping up again on Sunday.}

_{weather uk, weather london, weather BritainAn artist makes a sketch as people enjoy the weather in Hyde Park [AP]}

_{“It will feel colder at night but then start to warm up again during the day.”}

_{Britain has enjoyed more than a week of spring sunshine which saw sun-starved Britons hit the beaches and parks at the weekend.}

_{Asda said sales of barbecues have rocketed 111 per cent compared to the same time last year.}

_{Spokeswoman Mammy Kufuor said: “Since enjoying such a long stretch of summer last year, the nation has been raring to light the barbecues and dine al fresco.”}

_{Leon Brown, forecaster for The Weather Channel, said temperatures could hit 64F (18C) today before another glorious spring burst at the weekend.}

_{He said: “Sunday may turn out to be a fine and quite sunny day for southern and eastern England.}

_{“In the short term we can expect some widespread and locally dense fog on Thursday morning across much of central, eastern and southern England.}

_{“The fog may linger until late morning but becoming warm in the sunshine by the afternoon.}

_{“Temperatures 17C where the sun breaks through earliest in the morning, and sheltered locations such as west Wales may reach 18C.”}

_{The fine weather comes as a relief to parts of the south which were ravaged by floods after weeks of rain over winter.}

_{Although river and groundwater levels have fallen they are still “exceptionally high” with officials warning swathes of the south are not out of the woods.}

_{The Environment Agency still has four flood warnings and 59 flood alerts in place across the UK including Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire, West Sussex, West Berkshire, Kent and Surrey.}

_{A spokesman said: “Water levels are expected to fall further on the Somerset Levels this week due to the country’s largest ever pumping operation.}

_{“Groundwater levels also remain exceptionally high across much of the south of England, causing a continued risk of flooding.}

_{“With no heavy rainfall forecast for the south of England this week water levels are expected to fall in flood affected areas, helping to lower flood risk.”}