Sizzling Indian summer to come to abrupt end

PA

The super-hot autumn heatwave has seen people packed on British beaches like sardines and supermarkets selling out of BBQ burgers - but it's all set to come to shuddering halt by the end of the week.

According to forecasters, temperatures are set to plummet to 14C, and strong winds will rip through the the north.

Following the hottest 29 and 30 September since records began, a senior meteorologist with MeteoGroup confirmed a top temperature of 30c (86f) in Yorkshire on 1 October, with Gravesend, Kent not far behind with 29.9c (85.82f) - making it the hottest October day for more than a century.

Coast hotels were inundated with bookings, and Sainsbury's sold five times more burgers than usual at this time of year.

But it's set to come to an abrupt end, says Billy Payne, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association.

He explained: 'It is looking cooler and more unsettled from today with a lot of cloud over southern England and and a few spots of rain especially in the west.

'The north will have some blustery showers and it will be quite windy with local gales in the northern isles. Temperatures in most places will drop between 5C-10C, but London could still see highs of 20C.'

Much of the UK will see showers by Thursday, with longer spells of rain, continuing strong winds and some thunderstorms across western Scotland and north-west England.

Parts of Scotland could even be hit by frost, with temperatures of just 3C (37.4F) or 4C (39.2) expected on Friday night.

Mr Payne added: 'It is now very unlikely that we will see the temperatures we have had over the past week until early summer next year.'

That's a big thumbs down from us. But, just because we're so kind, we've come up with the best sunshine breaks for half-term, so that you can carry on the heatwave - even if Britain doesn't:

%VIRTUAL-Gallery-134801%