Warm weekend weather will see temperatures rise to near record levels for February, the Met Office has said.

What a difference a year makes. The warm, sunny weather across most of the UK will contrast with the same time last year, when we were bracing ourselves for the arrival of the Beast from the East, which hit at the beginning of March.

This year, temperatures could be as high as 18C (64.4F) on Saturday, and most places will see a lot of sunshine.

The warmest February since records began was in 1998 when temperatures hit 19.7C (67.4F), and the Met Office said there is the "potential to get close" to those readings.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

"There is an outside chance we could get close to that," a spokesman told the Press Association.

This week is predicted to be changeable with some cloud, before pressure builds, turning the weather "increasingly bright and sunny" for the weekend.

The Met Office online forecast says "dry and sunny weather will dominate" during the latter half of the week and temperatures will become "very mild".