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UK weather forecast: Hottest-ever February day may be recorded this week as Britain braces for balmy weekend

Temperatures will rise to near-record levels for February over the weekend as warm weather spreads across the UK, the Met Office has said.

The mercury could hit 18C this Saturday in some places, and most areas will see a lot of sunshine, forecasters say.

The warm, sunny weather will contrast with the same time last year, when Britain was braced for the arrival of the Beast from the East, which took hold at the start of March.

The warmest February since records began was in 1998, when temperatures reached 19.7C in Greenwich, south-east London.

“There is an outside chance we could get close to that,” said a Met Office spokesman.

In Scotland the balmy weather may also be close to beating the February record of 17.9C, as the forecast is for 16C this Saturday.

“Scotland could get into mid-teens, possibly a little bit higher, possibly the record could be broken,” the Met Office said.

Last week the unusually mild spell meant the UK was hotter than Spain on Valentine’s Day.

The weather is predicted to turn dry and sunny as this week goes on, before pressure builds up at the weekend.

Additional reporting by PA