Britain is set to sizzle again today as forecasters predicted record-breaking temperatures will bake the country.
It is expected to be the hottest September 29 since 1895 - when the mercury peaked at 27.8C (82F).
If the temperature rises even higher, it will be the third time this year we have seen record-breaking weather. This summer was the coldest since 1993 while April was the warmest since records began.
Set to sizzle: The sun rises though the mist and fog, over Danbury, Essex, this morning on what is predicted to be one of the warmest days of the year
The balmy conditions are set to continue into the weekend, which is likely to see many sun-seekers heading to parks, rivers and coastal areas.
BUT WINTER'S ON ITS WAY... FOR SOME AT LEAST
The country may well be basking in a glorious Indian summer but Plymouth City Council will have its gritting lorries at the ready from this weekend.
Despite record-breaking temperatures, authorities said because of the last two harsh winters, its seven gritters will be on standby for the next six months from Saturday.
It is also planning a public road show to dole out 'information about how to travel safely when there is ice or snow on the roads'.
Heathrow has also unveiled today its upgraded winter plans following chaos at the airport last Christmas.
It has trebled the number of snow vehicles, made more staff available to clear snow and agreed with airlines and air traffic control a better system for managing cancellations due to bad weather.
So far BAA has committed to investing £32.4 million in the new measures.
The unseasonably warm weather is more than 10C (50F) higher than the average temperature for the end of September.
Paul Mott, meteorologist for MeteoGroup, said: 'We are still on for some exceptionally warm weather until Sunday.
'Temperatures today will probably reach 28C (82.4F) over the London area. Central and eastern England could reach up to 27C (80.6F), so it is very warm indeed.
'That is a good 10C (50F) to 11C (51.8F) warmer than what we would expect for this time of year.'
The hottest place in Britain yesterday was St Helier, in Jersey, where the heat soared to 27.3C (81.1F).
The unseasonably warm weather has seen shrubs such as rhododendron and ornamental quince staging a surprise revival, while even brightly-coloured spring bedding plants such as primulas and auriculas are bursting back into life.
Experts say flowers that usually bloom in April and May have been tricked into thinking a second spring has arrived because of the chilly summer followed by a warm start to autumn.
Green and very pleasant land: Visitors at Sheffield Park Garden in Sussex yesterday admire the results of the hot spell, which has caused spring plants to flower for a second time
And it seems they won’t have to realise their mistake just yet, as this week will see the best stretch of sunshine of the year so far, after a cold and rainy summer which was the worst for 18 years.
It will stay hot and sunny for the rest of the week, before a glorious weekend that is likely to have thousands heading to the beach.
Television gardener Bob Flowerdew said: ‘It’s not unusual to get a smattering of second flowering but it’s quite unusual for it to be as good as the first.
‘With some of the more hardy primula you can get a nice flush in the autumn but it is unusual. It has been a cool, wet summer and the flowers probably think they’re in a second spring.’
He added: 'After a long dry spell during the spring plants stayed dormant because there wasn't enough water for them.'
Double take: Gardener Amber Tan with an ornamental Quince that has flowered for a second time in her Merseyside garden
Beach bums: Sun seekers who didn't have to attend work or school yesterday headed down to the beach on Camber Sands in East Sussex
Gardening guru Bob Flowerdew (pictured in his garden) says the phenomenon is a 'second spring' caused by the plants having been 'tricked' by the long cold summer
Guy Butler, of the Royal Horticultural Society, said: ‘There is a considerable amount of late flowering this year.
Bob Flowerdew said on Gardener's Question time that some plants had stayed dormant in the spring
‘The growing season is longer because of climate change. As a result, plant growth happens over a longer period which can see some types bloom again.’
The hot spell will make for a more vibrant display of colours on autumn leaves too, according to the Woodland Trust.
Professor Tim Sparks, nature adviser to the Trust, said: ‘The yellows and reds are in fact pigments found in leaves, and normally masked by the green chlorophyll.
These autumn colours are much more obvious in warm, sunny weather so providing that the subsequent nights are cool but not freezing we should see an explosion of colour in the coming weeks.’
In a garden in Wirral, Merseyside, gardener Amber Tan took a picture of herself with her ornamental quince which had flowered again, and she also photographed a rhododenron which had flowered again.
Yesterday, as the mercury hit 27c (81f) in Kent and North Wales and 26c (79f) in Dorset, sunseekers flocked to the beach to build sandcastles and enjoy ice creams.
But a few went to even greater heights to soak up the rays – such as the woman who stripped to her underwear and sunbathed on a narrow ledge five storeys above the ground.
Season of mists: A cottage stands on the frontline as the battle between the heatwave's warm air and colder moorland air sends mist clouds spilling into Swaledale from the Vale of York, North Yorkshire
Ethereal beauty: mist eddies around the curves of a valley as the battle between the heatwave's warm air and colder moorland air sends mist clouds spilling out
Dramatic scenes: The current creates unexpectedly beautiful scenes across Yorkshire with the landscape viewed from moor tops
Italian Elisabeth Lofaro, 36, who moved to London three weeks ago, had only a dressing gown and a pillow for protection as she balanced next to a satellite dish on a strip of roof outside her West End flat.
She said: ‘It was such a beautiful day, it reminded me of back home. I noticed a few workers in the offices opposite trying not to look at me and found that really funny.'
And a return to her precarious sunbathing spot seems likely, as Met Office forecaster Helen Chivers predicted ‘wall to wall sunshine’ for the rest of the week in England and Wales.
She said: ‘There will be sunshine today, tomorrow and into the weekend. Westerly winds will come in from Monday, so next week will be back to normal temperatures.’
Emma Cooke, 38, from Milton Keynes, Bucks, said: 'July and August just seemed to merge into one long cold and wet period.
'I had some holiday leave to take and when I saw the forecast for the rest of the week I thought I'd treat myself to a few days at the seaside.
'I think we all deserve it after the summer that we have had. I can't believe just how warm it is considering we are nearly into October.'
Summer heights high: A woman sunbathes four floors up from street level outside a flat in London's Mayfair with no guard rail and only a bikini for protection
Making a splash: A woman enjoys the cool fountains of Trafalgar Square in London
Clara Weaver from South Kensington, London with her dogs, Thropper (left) and Trixie cooling off in the hot weather in Hyde Park
Water fight: People enjoying the unseasonably warm weather by frolicking in the sea at Cullercoats on the North East coast
Making a splash: Kat Barwell, 24, cools down in the sea on Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall, as the UK enjoys an Indian Summer
Taking the plunge: A couple of brave girls jump into the sea at Cullercoats on the North East coast
Explaining the heat wave Met Office spokesman Sarah Holland said: 'We have got some high pressure set to the east of us that has brought up southerly winds from France and the Mediterranean.
'The warmest parts of the country will be in the south east where we are expecting temperatures of up to 28C by Friday.
'The average temperature for September is 16C so we are at least 10C above that.
Park life: A woman works on her tan in Hampstead Heath in North London during the midday sun
Chilling out: A woman works on her tan in a black bikini while sunbathing in London's Hyde Park
Bikini time: Personal trainer Tara Hammett makes the most of the warm late September weather with an early morning swim at Langland Bay, Mumbles, near Swansea in south Wales
WHY THE 'SECOND SPRING'?
The Met Office says warm air coming from the warm south of Europe is the reason for unseasonably warm conditions in Britain this week:
'An area of high pressure has developed across much of central Europe, centred on Germany and Poland.
'This high pressure draws up very warm air from a long way south, from parts of France and Spain.
'It comes across a dry continent, removing most of the moisture out of the air. As a result we see very little in the way of cloud, with blue skies and plenty of sunshine.
'As a result the sunshine warms the ground and the ground warms the air so we see high temperatures for this time of the year.'
'This weather should last into the weekend but we expect it to drop off by the early part of next week with cooler temperatures and some patchy rain.'
Another Met Office spokesman says an area of high pressure has developed across much of central Europe, centred on Germany and Poland, which is the reason for this week's warm weather.
'This high pressure draws up very warm air from a long way south, from parts of France and Spain,' he said.
'It comes across a dry continent, removing most of the moisture out of the air. As a result we see very little in the way of cloud, with blue skies and plenty of sunshine.
'As a result the sunshine warms the ground and the ground warms the air so we see high temperatures for this time of the year.'
The Met Office said that despite many media reports calling the warm weather an ‘Indian summer’, it is too early in the year to call it that. An Indian summer is defined as 'a warm, calm spell of weather occurring in autumn, especially in October and November'.
Tides out: High September temperatures brought people down to Brighton Beach for a spot of sunbathing
Taking a break: A runner in Hampstead Heath, takes time out of her jog to soak up the sun in north London
Time to smell the roses: A woman enjoys the scent of a pink rose in Regents Park in London during the sunny day
Rowers enjoy the unseasonably warm weather on the River Wear in Durham alongside autumnal trees
Taking the bike out: This young lady thought the sun made the perfect weather conditions for a bike ride in Hyde Park
Perfect punting conditions: People were busy punting on the River Cam in Cambridge
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