SP-RING IN THE NEW YEAR
UK weather – Hottest New Year in 178 years due to ‘warmer than Corfu’ heat bubble
BRITAIN is poised for the warmest New Year's Eve in 178 years as a 1,000-mile wide 'tropical plume' sweeps in bringing temperatures topping 16C.
Forecasters say a high pressure front moving up from the Azores, off Portugal, could bring much-needed warm weather for swathes of the flood-ravaged UK.
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The Met Office forecasts highs of around 16C up to and including New Year's Eve on Tuesday.
The average for this time of year in England and Wales is a chilly 7 to 9C.
It will be the UK's warmest December 31 since records began in 1841 if highs beat the 15.6C in 1910 at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, official records show.
Highs will also be close to December's overall record temperatures of 17.7C in England, set in 1985 and 1994, and the UK's 18.3C, set in Scotland in 1948.
Wales and Scotland will be warmest at 16C - 9C above average - with London's 11C still well above average.
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Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “A tropical maritime air mass from the Azores is good news for New Year's Eve, with very mild 15-16C highs up to and including Tuesday.
“Conditions look pretty decent for fireworks, with light winds, and New Year's Day looks mild at 13C."
In Corfu, Greece, the predicted highs are just 12C while in Rome, Italy, the temperatures are only tipped to reach around 11C.
The warmer spell is the result of an area of high pressure which would usually bring cold and frosty weather from the Continent.
However, his time it is trapping an area of cloud and mild air which could lead to a much-needed 'heat bubble'.
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The news comes as flash flood warnings have been issued across the country as more rain misery sweeps in - while odds have been slashed on 2020 being the wettest year EVER.
As many as 29 flood warnings are in effect as of Saturday morning across England as a band of thick cloud and rain sweeps in from the Atlantic.
Meanwhile, 75 flood alerts have been issued by the Environment agency spanning from the far North East down to Devon.
Clare Dinnis, Environment Agency flood duty manager, said parts of South England and North Lincolnshire were most at risk of flooding following prolonged spells of rain.
She said: "While the weather outlook is improving, groundwater levels continue to rise after recent rainfall, meaning that there is a continued risk of groundwater flooding in parts of southern England over the next few days.
"We continue to monitor rainfall and river levels closely and to operate our flood defences, reducing the risk of flooding to thousands of homes and businesses and helping to keep people safe."
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Met Office forecaster Helen Roberts said northern parts of the UK set for more rain as conditions in the south are expected to be a lot drier.
Conditions are expected to improve and Ms Roberts added that the high pressure will "keep things fairly quiet for the next five to 10 days or so" for much of the country.
The Met Office forecast for Saturday said: "Many southern areas mostly cloudy but dry, although an increasing chance of a few brighter intervals.
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