The UK is experiencing its warmest February day on record and some of the highest temperatures ever recorded in winter, according to forecasters.
Temperatures in Trawsgoed, Wales, reached 20.3C, (68.5F) yesterday morning and rose to 20.6C in the afternoon. Previously, the highest recorded temperature in February had been 19.7C in London in 1998.
It is the first time temperatures have exceed 20C during winter, according to a Met Office official. The weather starkly contrasts with the beginning of the month, when sub-zero temperatures were recorded across the country.
The Met Office chief meteorologist, Steve Willington, emphasised that the gap was remarkable: “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.”
A Met Office representative said that temperatures in Wales were affected by local geography, with southerly winds rising over the east of the Welsh mountains and warming while descending down the other side in west Wales.
The country is experiencing warmer temperatures in general this week. London reached 19.8C on Wednesday – also the highest temperature recorded in February since records began.
This time last year there was widespread snowfall across the country between late February and March and some areas of the country were hit by blizzards.