We could be set for the warmest year on record as the UK braces for a hotter-than-average run-up to Christmas.
Temperatures are set to rise in west London this week, with highs of 18°C expected in Ealing, Fulham, Harrow and Uxbridge.
The average high temperature for Ealing, Harrow and Uxbridge in October is 15.4°C and 15.8°C in Fulham, according to the Met Office.
And the Mirror reports the mercury is set to stay higher than it usually does in October, November and December.
Met Office forecast models show a 60% to 80% chance of a warmer-than-average three months ahead.
If September to December is 1.5°C above average it could make 2018 the hottest year on record in the UK. That would give 2018 a 9.8°C annual temperature, 0.9°C above normal, nudging 2014’s record 9.91°C.
The unseasonal surge will be driven by an incoming El Nino - a warming of the Pacific which boosts temperatures in October and November around western Europe.
It is also being put down to warmth from the continent, alongside tropical air driven across the Atlantic by jetstream winds.
The Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze said: “2018 could push towards one of the hottest years on record. It’s a hot year even though it saw the ‘Beast from the East’ cold late winter.”
Meanwhile, parts of Britain could be hotter than Barcelona this week as the frosty weather is replaced by surging temperatures.
Many people will wake up to frost on Monday morning following a chilly weekend across a swathe of the country.
In west London, most parts will feel highs of 13°C at the start of the week, but this will jump up to 18°C in most parts on Tuesday.
Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said: "By Tuesday we could see a high of 18°C or 19°C in the south and we could just about nudge 20°C.
"Further north, it's going to be quite a bit cooler than that but still in the mid-teens. Around 14°C or 15°C is possible, which is slightly above average for the start of October.
"The amount of sunshine we get will play a massive part in how warm it feels."
