London weather: Warm sunshine with 17C highs on the way after weeks of winter gloom

"It seems London is being dragged out of mire, weather-wise, with the capital set to bask in warm spring sunshine this week. The Met Office is forecasting a dramatic improvement in the weather on Tuesday and Wednesday as intense storms and dull skies of a dreary winter make way for some fine conditions. Both days are expected to be sunny with highs of 14C and 17C, respectively. It comes after a weekend that was better than most over the last couple of month or so, with highs of 14C on both Saturday and Sunday."

"The UK has suffered a distinct lack sunshine over the winter months this year - having had just 70% of the average sunshine so far. It has been a wet winter in the UK, with rainfall above the average for the last 30 years, but for some it has been much wetter than others. The meteorological winter, as used by forecasters, runs from the start of December to the end of February and the averages for rain and sun are calculated by using data from the past 30 years."

"Met Office senior meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said that this winter does not look remarkable until it is broken down regionally for the big differences across the UK to be seen. The Met Office said that eastern Scotland has experienced 114% of its rainfall, while northern and north-western Scotland have had just 60%."

"Similarly, the Midlands is on 140% of its expected rainfall while north-west England is on 90%. Explaining the regional split, Met Office presenter and meteorologist Alex Deakin said: A southerly shift in the jet stream, driven by the freezing conditions across North America, pushed low-pressure systems further south than usual. Combined with a blocking pattern that caused these systems to stall, this set up a semi-permanent south-easterly flow into the UK. As a result, rain has been funnelled in from the surrounding seas into the south-west of England, eastern Scotland, and the east of Northern Ireland, while western parts of Scotland have been notably drier than normal."

London is forecast to enjoy warm spring sunshine with sunny conditions expected on Tuesday and Wednesday and highs of 14C and 17C. A recent weekend produced highs of 14C on both Saturday and Sunday. The UK has recorded about 70% of its average winter sunshine and overall rainfall above the 30-year average. The meteorological winter runs from December to February and averages use 30-year data. Rainfall totals vary regionally, with eastern Scotland at 114%, northern and north-western Scotland at 60%, the Midlands at 140% and north-west England at 90%. A southerly jet-stream shift plus a blocking pattern created a south-easterly flow that funnelled rain into south-west England, eastern Scotland and eastern Northern Ireland, while western Scotland remained drier.

Read at www.standard.co.uk