Parts of UK set to enjoy unseasonable warm spell

Forget your winter warmers – the West Midlands is set to enjoy a reprieve as a bout of unseasonably mild weather moves in.

Temperatures in some areas could be as high as 13C (55F), all helped by a mass of warm air moving up from southern Europe. The average for this time of year is just 7C (45F).

It will barely drop below 10C at night from Saturday through to Monday, in stark contrast to regular frosts experienced since the beginning of winter and compared to an average night-time temperature of 1.4C in December in the UK.

There is also a chance Scotland could experience its warmest December night on record, with temperatures in the east of the country potentially rising to around the current record of 12.5C on Saturday night.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, the Met Office said: “Unusually mild air for December will arrive from the sub-tropical Atlantic.

“This will lift temperatures widely above average, giving exceptionally mild conditions, particularly in some central and northern areas.”

Met Office expert Stephen Dixon said: “Things are generally kind of turning milder over the next few days as we get this Atlantic influence which has helped develop some of the wet and windy conditions we’ve seen, particularly in the North West.

“But we’re also seeing a ridge of higher pressure developing from the South West which is helping to bring temperatures up above average for the time of year, through the weekend and into next week as it moves into the West Midlands.”

Mr Dixon warned that there will likely be some “unsettled weather” accompanying the milder conditions, particularly in the North West where heavy rain is expected over the weekend.

The Met Office is currently unsure when temperatures will drop back down.