Balmy summer weather to continue into autumn?

The Met Office has revealed that 2013 has seen the hottest and driest summer since 2006 and as the season comes to an end, the weather is expected to remain warm into autumn.

Temperatures could rise to as high as 27C in the South next week after a cooler weekend.

Forecaster Leon Brown at The Weather Channel tells AOL Travel: "A cooler weekend is expected for the UK with afternoon temperatures only 17C to 19C in the South on Saturday afternoon and 15C in the North.

"It will become windy over Scotland on Sunday with strong west winds and gusts to 50mph or more in the North. Southern Britain will be fine and bright with light winds."

For next week, Leon says it "will become a lot warmer again as high pressure builds over central to eastern Europe and southerly winds bring warmth northwards again to the UK."

He adds: "We will see temperatures reaching 26C to 27C by next Wednesday across central and eastern England, and possibly 28C in London.

"By the end of next week it will turn a lot cooler and unsettled though from the west. Risk of ground frosts and overnight temperatures down to 2C or 3C by next weekend."

But while it may have seemed like a perfect summer compared to past years, the Met Office said in a statement: "While this summer is warmer, drier and sunnier than the long-term average, it hasn't been exceptional.

"It stands out because the last six summers have been wetter than average, with 2012 and 2007 both being in the top five wettest, and 2008 and 2009 also in the top ten wettest in records from 1910."

MeteoGroup forecaster Alexi Boothman told the Daily Mail: "The average temperature for the start of autumn in the South is 20C-21C (68F-69.8F) so it will be a good few degrees higher than average. But in the North temperatures could be up to ten degrees lower, much closer to the seasonal average in that part of the country."

According to the Met Office, this summer is likely to finish around eighth to tenth warmest since 1910.

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