Hopes of a mini heatwave in October are still alive with forecasters predicting warmer temperatures are on the way.
The weather is expected to be warmer than usual next month, with one meteorologist predicting an “Indian summer”.
A heatwave is defined by the Met Office as “an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity”.
In the UK, it is “when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold”. This threshold varies by each county in the UK.
The maximum and minimum average temperatures for the UK in October are 13.8C and 6.4C, respectively – and 14.7C and 7.5C for southern England.
The Met Office said temperatures could reach as high as 23C next Tuesday, 22C on the Wednesday, 19C on Thursday and 20C on Friday – hitting 21C at the weekend.
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Its long-range forecast for October states: “Temperatures are expected to be close to or slightly above average through the period.
“Some more dry, settled periods, are likely until the middle of the month.
“It is expected that temperatures will generally be above average for October.”
Before then, however, Storm Agnes is expected to bring winds of up to 80mph to parts of the UK.
Yellow warnings for strong winds and heavy rain are in place for much of the country – spanning from the southwest of England, up to Scotland and across to Northern Ireland – from 1noon on Wednesday to around midnight on Thursday.
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Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said once Agnes is out of the way, there will be a return to “sunny spells and showers”.
“By the end of Friday, high pressure builds in from the south and that will lead to a fine start for most of us on Saturday,” he said.
“It’s not exactly plain sailing, still some showers in the west, and still some lows out to the west waiting to come in perhaps for later in the weekend.”
He added: “A glimmer of a more benign period as we begin the weekend.”
Meteorologist Jim Dale said “a taste of an Indian summer” could be on its way for some “by the weekend” and “for a time thereafter” in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
