UK weather forecast: Hurricane Gert helps summer make a comeback with highs of 27C

Summer is set to make a comeback this week as temperatures soar to their highest since mid July.

Highs of 26C or 27C could hit parts of south-east England today.

In contrast to the cool, damp weather seen in recent weeks, some places will stay warm into Wednesday thanks to the lingering effects of Hurricane Gert.

Southern England and East Anglia will enjoy the best of the weather as cloud and rain make way for a hot and humid spell.

But not all of Britain will be blessed with fine conditions, with forecasters predicting a north/south divide.

Met Office Forecaster Marco Petagna said: "We are looking at some potentially very warm weather across the south on Tuesday, we could see 26C locally, 27C in one or two places - towards the South East, the north-facing coast of Devon could do quite well. But several places in the South could see 24C or 25C.

"The warm air is coming in from remnants of what was Hurricane Gert, but also with a breeze coming up from the south as well.

"It's a combination of warm air coming off the Atlantic, but also a bit of a southerly breeze as well, which is a fairly warm direction for the UK, particularly at this time of year."

Northern Ireland will be cloudy and see some some outbreaks of rain which will push into Scotland and later become heavy and thundery during the afternoon, while much of England and Wales will remain dry.