TEMPERATURES across south Essex crept up to almost 20°C today in what is thought to have been the warmest February day on record.
The mercury touched 18°C in parts of Basildon and Southend as families - as well as workers on lunch - took to the seaside to catch a few rays.
Blue skies - south Essex basked in unseasonably warm sunshine
The average temperature for this time of the year is about 8°C.
Sunseekers were spotted in Southchurch Park as well as Prittlewell Gardens in Southend.
According to the Met Office, the record-breaking conditions are a result of warm air combining with a period of sunshine across the UK, resulting in higher temperatures.
Winds from the south and southeast of the country, including from Spain and Africa, are pushing air over a part of Wales which has the greatest “land track”, causing it to get gradually warmer.
The further the air travels over land the more moisture it loses and faster it heats up, the Met Office said.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “It’s exceptional for it to be this warm at this time of year.”
Average temperatures for the month of February in the UK are around 8C, the Met Office has previously said.
This time last year the country was being blasted by the Beast from the East, which brought snow and freezing conditions.
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