Unusually Warm Weather Continues in the UK Amid Above-Average Temperatures

According to BBC UK, temperatures have surpassed 27C at Heathrow, London, as a result of a late September warmth. Many areas in south-east England have reached the low to mid-20s Celsius, while other parts of the UK have seen high teens or low-20s. This warmth is noted as being approximately 3 to 7 degrees above the average for this time of year.

Tuesday night is also anticipated to be unusually warm, with some locations not expected to drop significantly below 20C. This temperature increase is attributed to a strong southerly airflow that developed on Tuesday, which is transporting warmth from France and Spain, where temperatures have widely been above 30C, into the UK.

However, some regions have experienced cloudy conditions and showers, which has affected temperatures in certain locations, particularly in the northern half of the country. For instance, Loftus in North Yorkshire, Killylane in Co. Antrim, and Balmoral in Aberdeenshire were among places recording below 14C during the 13:00 BST observation round.

Southerly winds are forecast to continue strengthening, with gusts up to 50mph anticipated in western Scotland and Northern Ireland. This weather pattern is linked to a large and deep area of low pressure moving north across the eastern Atlantic toward Iceland.

Overnight into Wednesday, the warm southerly winds are expected to persist, leading to minimum temperatures that are more characteristic of a summer's night than early autumn. Generally, these minimum temperatures are expected to be around 15 to 19C, though in parts of south-east England, temperatures may remain just above 20C overnight. This is considered an unusually warm night, as typical late September nighttime temperatures are around 7 to 11C.

September is set to conclude as another month with average temperatures coming in well above normal. As of September 26, the Central England Temperature (CET), which tracks the average temperature across various locations in England, is 2.6 degrees Celsius above normal. Furthermore, every month this calendar year has shown the average mean CET to be above average, and the current reading is 2.6C higher than normal for the year to date. The Met Office's most recent three-month outlook, covering October through December, suggests a higher-than-normal probability of a mild autumn and the start of winter. It would require significantly colder than normal conditions for the remainder of the year for 2026 not to be among the warmest on record for the UK.