London weather: Capital to be hotter than Barcelona and Nice this week with 24C forecast

London is bathed in sunshine with temperatures shooting up as warm weather takes over from last week’s cold snap.

The start of autumn brought chillier conditions across the UK with overnight frost and a low of minus 2.7C recorded in North Yorkshire on Thursday evening.

In London and the South East temperatures also plummeted but are now set to rise to 24C on Thursday, the Met Office said.

The agency’s general forecast for the UK is for “largely fine” weather through much of the week, though an easterly breeze developing which may introduce patchy cloud.

Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna said on Sunday: “It’s really just a high pressure dominating Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, meaning there’s a lot of dry, settled weather around.

“The far north/northwest of Scotland might just see a bit of cloud and the odd spot of rain at times. But apart from that, it will be dry and settled.

“By midweek we’re looking at 23 in the South East.”

The Met Office has since upgraded its forecast, predicting highs of 24C in London in the middle of the week, with temperatures dropping no lower than 14C at night.

It means London will be hotter than the likes of Barcelona, where the Met Office predicts the temperature will reach only 21C on Wednesday and 22C on Thursday.

It will also be as warm - or even warmer - than Nice on the French Riviera, where highs of 23C on Wednesday and 24C on Thursday are forecast.

London’s warm spell is expected to last through to the weekend with predicted highs of 22C on Saturday and 21C on Sunday.