UK to be hotter than Greece as mini-heatwave brings 26C this weekend

‘Mini heatwave’ hits Britain causing temperatures to be as high as 26C on Sunday.

Parts of the UK will be hotter than Turkey, Greece and the Costa del Sol this weekend as a mini heatwave brings temperatures of up to 26C.

After a wet start to the week, the Met Office said temperatures of 24C would be “notably widespread” across all regions of the UK on Saturday, with the hottest areas being London and the south east which are expected to reach 26C on Sunday.

The hot weather is expected to last two days when the mercury will dip on Monday as warmer air is pushed away.

Although reluctant to use terms such as “Indian summer”, the Met Office confirmed the temperatures were higher than average for this time of year although warmer Octobers are not “unusual.”

The south and south east of England will experience the hottest temperatures rising to 26C in parts on Sunday (PA)

The news comes after September was confirmed as being the joint hottest since records began in 1884. The warmest weather for October was seen in 2011 where temperatures reached an unprecedented 29.9C.

The Algarve, Cyprus and Ibiza will be as hot as parts of the UK this weekend as the Met Office said that weather changes in the UK were set to continue “due to the effects of human-induced climate change”.

To be officially classed as a heatwave, high temperatures must continue for three days and a spokesperson confirmed that they did not expect that to be the case this autumn and winter. But higher temperatures than average are expected to continue for the rest of the year from October through to December.

Parts of England will be hotter than Cyprus and the Costa del Sol this weekend (PA)

Average temperatures for October should be around 15C for England and 13C for Scotland according to the forecaster.

A spokesperson also confirmed that while it is the right time of year for an “Indian Summer” and some criteria could be met, the cold weather and frost preceding a rise in temperatures had not occurred and cautioned against using the term “heatwave” or “mini heatwave”.

According to the Met Office an Indian summer is defined as “a warm, calm spell of weather occurring in autumn, especially in October and November.”

Temperatures are expected to return to average on Monday with numbers in the mid to late teens in England.