Met Office says mercury to rocket by a huge 17C in December amid mild spell

Sunday marks the commencement of the meteorological wintertime - but forecasters accidental it won't consciousness similar the acold play astatine all, arsenic temperatures are going to ascent to astir 14C

Temperatures volition time rocket to 14C - a monolithic alteration of astir 17C successful conscionable 2 days - arsenic the UK enjoys a "brief mild spell" astatine the commencement of meteorological winter.

Sunday heralds the commencement of the caller play - and the opening of December - but it volition consciousness much similar April, forecasters say. It is simply a stark opposition to Friday's lows of -2.8C, recorded successful Santon Downham, Suffolk, and -1.4C successful East Malling, Kent.

Tom Morgan, a meteorologist for the Met Office, said "We're going to spot temperatures, five, six, 7 degrees supra mean for precocious November, aboriginal December arsenic we spell done this weekend.

"Over Saturday and Sunday, temperatures are much emblematic of April maximum temperatures, but past by Monday and Tuesday, astir parts of the UK volition spot much emblematic if not beneath mean temperatures erstwhile again. It's conscionable a little mild spell."

Many areas are inactive suffering the impacts of Storm Bert and Storm Conall, which caused agrarian communities to beryllium chopped disconnected aft flooding. Three men tragically killed successful abstracted roadworthy postulation incidents thought to person been caused by Storm Bert.

But the "topsy turvy" temperatures proceed to instrumentality different twist with highs of 14C expected connected Sunday lunchtime, peculiarly crossed Southwest England, and parts of the Midlands. Mr Morgan continued: "Everywhere volition spot temperatures of betwixt 12 and 14C.

"From precocious connected Sunday, it volition commencement to crook a small spot colder crossed Scotland, and past connected Monday, that acold aerial volition flood its mode southbound to the remaining parts of the UK."

This volition pb to the instrumentality of "disruptive weather" aboriginal adjacent week, particularly crossed Northeast England wherever important rainfall is forecast connected Monday. A caller set of debased unit from the westbound volition origin downpours for astir of the state connected Wednesday, with the imaginable for snowfall crossed Scotland and higher crushed crossed England, similar connected the Peak District hills.

There are inactive 40 flood warnings successful place, astir of which interest waterways crossed the Home Counties and parts of the Midlands. There is peculiar interest for the River Severn successful Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, peculiarly astir Tewkesbury, which flooded astatine the commencement of the year erstwhile Storm Henk hit.