Heatwave alert! It's going to be 90F, say forecasters

Soaking up the sun in Weston Super-Mare/PA

Prepare for a weekend of sunshine and tropical temperatures: we're in for a mini-heatwave.

For once, forecasters are in agreement that it's going to be warm, with temperatures in southern parts of the country soaring well into the 80F (27C) mark.

One forecaster has predicted that the mercury will reach 90F (32C) in some parts of the UK, with uninterrupted sunshine and blue skies.

PA

Johnathan Powell from Vantage Weather Services told the Daily Express: "The south east is going to enjoy a real scorcher, a proper barbecue weekend, and there is the chance of even breaching the 90F mark."

The Met Office says that temperatures will reach highs of 26C on Saturday and Sunday in London and parts of the South East.

Although there will be more cloud cover in the north, the mercury should rise to 20C in areas including Newcastle on Saturday.

And the good news is that the lovely weather looks set to last until October.

However, there are warnings that Britain could temporarily feel the effects of Hurricane Leslie over the Atlantic, which could bring more unsettled weather for the UK at the beginning of next week. But these will be short-lived.

The positive outlook will come as a welcome surprise for most. Official Met Office figures for summer 2012 show that it was the second wettest summer in more than 100 years.

A total of 370.7mm of rain fell across the UK during June, July and August and there was just 413 hours of sunshine, making it one of the dullest summers on record.

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