UK weather today: Met office confirms it's the hottest day in February on record

A young boy enjoying the unusually warm weather

Everyone is talking about the weather and history was made today when the thermometer reached 20C. This is the first time it has ever happened in winter since records began.

The temperature reached 20.3 °C at Trawsgoed, Ceredigion.

It has been 10 degrees higher than usual for this time of year. This is in sharp contrast to this time last year when we were all freezing because of the Beast from the East.

It is officially considered a heatwave because the temperature has been at least 5C above the seasonal average for five straight days.

The reason temperatures have been so high is because of the direction of where the air is coming from.

High pressure from the south east of the British Isles has been bringing in warm air from Africa and the Canary Islands

Temperatures are further boosted by something known as the 'foehn effect', when air warms as it flows down the side of mountains.

But be warned - enjoy it while you can because the sunshine and warm weather will soon be gone.

Severe storms will bring heavy rain and gale-force winds from next week, with snow expected over higher ground. The warm weather will continue on Tuesday - with temperatures predicted to be in the high teens again - before things begin to return to normal and severe storms sweep in from the Atlantic at the beginning of March.