'African Plume' set to bring Indian Summer to UK ahead of Halloween

Virgin Radio

17 Oct 2022, 09:35

Don’t get too cosy just yet! It might be Autumn but could we see some warmer weather soon?

Meteorology experts Netweather claim we could be set for a mini-heatwave as a plume of late summer heat makes its way from Africa over the next two weeks, starting today (Monday 17th October).

Speaking to the Mirror, Netweather forecaster Nick Finnis explained: “Some computer models show 22C or 23C by midweek, bringing an Indian Summer."

Meteorologists say the warm spell will last right up until Halloween, with the South getting the most of the hot weather. 

Netweather added (via Ladbible): “The potential for warm weather next week is thanks to an increasingly amplifying upper flow pattern upstream over North Atlantic, leading to an upper trough to disrupt to form a cut-off upper low to the west of Europe.

“This upper low to the west combined a strong upper ridge building north over Europe looks to pump a plume of very warm air north from Northwest Africa across western Europe next week, reaching southern Britain by Wednesday.”

You might not want to bust out the buckets and spades just yet though, as the Met Office responded to the claims, and argued we might only feel “4C higher” than normal for this time of year. 

Speaking to The Sun, Met Office forecaster Becky Mitchell said it won’t be a typical Indian Summer, adding: “The warmer air we are expecting in the middle of this week will originate from northern Africa.

"Temperatures will be a little above average across the UK this week, with highs of 17-18C each day in the south. We can expect to see temperatures reach around 21 Celsius in the south on Thursday as a southerly wind draws up warm air from France."

An Indian Summer means there’s a period of unseasonably warm weather during the autumn months, with temperatures having the potential to 30C in the last weeks of October, before a real cold snap begins.