Temperatures to touch 27C despite more rain on the way for some

A burst of early autumn warmth will see the temperature rise as high as 27C in south-east England by the weekend, whilst more rain is on the way further north.

Temperatures will be a few degrees above average across the UK for most, with Thursday and Sunday looking particularly warm in the south.

The unsettled theme also continues, with low pressure systems bringing rain at times, focused towards the north-west.

Higher pressure keeps things much drier across the southern half of England and Wales, where drought conditions and hosepipe bans continue.

Temperatures have been on the rise across central Europe over recent days, and some of that warm air will be transported towards the UK on south or south-westerly winds.

With higher pressure remaining in charge in the south this will keep conditions often dry and bright, especially on Sunday which is likely to be the warmest day of the week.

On Thursday, dry and bright weather across the southern half of England and Wales with push temperatures widely into the mid-20s Celsius, whilst wetter weather further north will keep most places a few degrees cooler.

Readings of 26C (79F) are possible in the south-east.

Friday and Saturday will see a slight dip in temperatures for all parts, as winds turn to a more north-westerly direction, bringing a mix of sunshine and showers.

Then into Sunday, the next surge of warmer air will push more widely across England and Wales, with the warmest spots in the south-east expected to reach around 27C (81F) or even a little higher.

Westerly winds will drive a series of weather fronts in from the Atlantic, with the wettest weather set to be focused across the north-west.

In western Scotland, some places could see more than 80mm (3 inches) of rain over the next five days, with heavy rain also likely at times in north-west England and north Wales.

It won't be raining all week though, with drier interludes especially on Thursday morning and throughout Saturday.

It follows a very wet weekend for some areas, including north Wales, northern England and the Midlands.

Further south across England and Wales, the rain this week will be much more sporadic with just 5 to 10mm falling in total.

This will go little way to ease drought conditions caused by lengthy dry spells , externalover summer.

Rather than intense downpours, steady and prolonged rainfall is needed over the next several months to improve the situation.

Beyond the weekend, there is some uncertainty about how long the warmth will last.

It looks most likely that Atlantic weather-systems will continue to bring rain-bearing fronts to the north-west of the UK.

A few warmer days are still possible in the south and east, although there is potential for a wetter and windier spell more widely from midweek onwards.

Keep an eye on the monthly outlook for our latest thoughts on the long-range forecast.