
Monday will be Britain's hottest February 20th for 160 years with temperatures set to reach 16C.

Temperatures in the UK will be hotter than Greece, Dubai and Saudi Arabia thanks to a 'blast of hot air from the Caribbean', bringing weather fit for a barbecue.

It comes after many enjoyed unseasonably warm temperatures during the week - with people even seen sunbathing in Britain's parks.

After last week's bitingly cold temperatures, spring looks to be well on its way with balmy highs of 16C by Monday due to a southwesterly airflow.

Life's a beach: Monday will be Britain's hottest February 20th for 160 years with temperatures set to reach 16C. Pictured: Brighton pier

Relaxed: Sunbathers on the beach in Brighton. Temperatures in the UK will be hotter than Greece, Dubai and Saudi Arabia thanks to a 'blast of hot air from the Caribbean'

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Warm blast: This Met Office graphic shows how the UK will enjoy a hot blast of air that is coming to us from the Atlantic

This three-day weather forecast shows the weather will be mild but not necessarily sunny, with clouds expected in the west

Ice cream: People queue for a tasty snack on South Bank, London as temperatures rises ahead of next week's blast of hot air from the Atlantic

Met Office meteorologist Emma Stone said Monday should be the warmest February day since February 23, 2012, when it reached 18.7C in northern Wales.

She told MailOnline: 'The UK is currently underneath the jet stream meaning we're on the warm side of a blast of air from the Caribbean giving us milder conditions.

'We're expecting most places to experience double digit conditions over this weekend, rising over the next day or two.

'The mild weather will continue next week with frosts at night very unlikely - but it won't necessarily be sunny with some cloud and drizzle forecast.'

The cloud of hot air is making its way over the Atlantic Ocean from Florida and parts of the Caribbean, and is expected to reach the British Isles over the weekend, the Met Office said.

Relaxing: A couple enjoy the sunshine on the beach in Brighton, East Sussex as temperatures are set to reach 16C on Monday

Two 99s please: A couple enjoy the sunshine on the beach in Brighton, East Sussex - but they keep a reasonable number of layers on proving it's not quite summer yet

Aberdeen, Wattisham and London are all tipped as likely locations for the highest temperatures, with the east of the country broadly enjoying the best of the warmth.

The rise could make the UK among the hottest locations in Europe, following bouts of snow and freezing temperatures that took hold earlier this month.

Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh will be 13C on Monday - three degrees less than Britain.

The hottest recorded day in February was in 1998, when thermometers reached 19.7C.

Chilling out: One woman enjoys the mild temperatures along the South Bank with a few drinks and sit down in a deck chair

The city in the sun: This image shows the London Eye and Houses of Parliament under hazy sunshine on Saturday

A couple in London take a moment to snap a selfie during the unseasonably warm weather in the capital on Saturday

The break of dawn: South Shields lighthouse on the north east coast of England as the sun rises above the horizon of the North Sea