Warmer Weather to Arrive This Week Following Persistent Cloud Cover, Forecasts Say
Forecasters predict a welcome shift in the weather this week, with London set to experience temperatures of 14°C and sunnier conditions by Friday, after enduring days of gloomy, overcast weather.
The sunshine will mark a break from what has been a persistent “anticyclonic gloom,” with the capital having gone seven days without sun earlier this month. The Met Office expects clearer skies on Monday and Tuesday, with temperatures hovering around 6°C, followed by a gradual warming trend leading to the expected high of 14°C later in the week.
While 14°C is above the usual February average of 9°C in southern England, it is not expected to break any records. The highest recorded February temperature in recent years was 21.2°C in Kew Gardens back in 2019.
Despite the more pleasant conditions in London, other parts of the UK, particularly in the west, may experience rain, while areas in the east are predicted to stay drier. Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan noted that although no national records are expected to be set, some regions could see up to 10 consecutive days without sunshine, which would come close to breaking records for the longest period of cloud cover.
The recent persistent gloom has been attributed to a high-pressure system, or anticyclone, over Scandinavia. This has brought cold winds from the east, carrying moisture from the Baltic and North Seas, which has kept much of the UK under cloud cover. As the week progresses, milder air from the Atlantic is expected to push eastward, finally bringing more pleasant weather across the country by midweek.
