GMB’s Laura Tobin says UK to bask in ‘Indian Summer’ with 22C heat

Good Morning Britain’s weather expert Laura Tobin says the UK is in the middle of an ‘Indian Summer’. The ITV star says temperatures reached as high as 22.5C on Thursday (October 17).

For a short while, Brits can ditch their big coats and winter jumpers for a spell of warmth today and tomorrow as temperatures skyrocket from single figures up to nearly 22C.

But sadly, it is expected to be short-lived, as the burst of ‘summer-like’ weather will be washed out by the end of the week.

Speaking to her followers on Instagram, the presenter explained that the higher-than-usual temperatures are expected to cool down again fairly soon.

She said that temperatures could stick to the “low twenties” in parts before “wet and windy weather” by the weekend.

This phenomenon is known as an ‘Indian Summer’ – but it’s nothing to do with the Asian country.

Laura explained in her video that the change is a term related to Native American Indians who documented “warm changes coming from nowhere”. The conditions were ideal for hunting in mid-to-late October.

The Met Office reports that the “much milder” weather will become wet with rain in the forecast that could be “heavy and locally disruptive in places”.

The weather monitoring service also issued some yellow alerts for the weekend and into next week (Monday, October 22) as strong gale-force winds batter parts of the UK.

Tony Wisson, a Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “This low-pressure system is not expected to develop until Friday near the coast of Canada, so at this stage there is still a lot of uncertainty about the strength and track of this system as it interacts with the jet stream over the weekend.

It’s likely that parts of Ireland will see impacts from this before the UK though. At present, a windy period is expected across the whole of the UK on Sunday and into Monday, but across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northwest England and North West Wales, there is an increased chance of some disruption.”

He added: “Initially a period of strong south to southeasterly winds will likely develop through Sunday morning, with gusts of 50-60mph possible in some inland areas, especially Northern Ireland and western Scotland, and perhaps up to 60-70mph along exposed coasts and hills.

“Winds will then likely turn southwesterly, with a period of especially strong winds possible during Sunday afternoon and evening in western Scotland, where gusts could potentially reach 70-80mph in exposed areas, and more generally 55-65mph in other parts of the warning area. These strong winds in conjunction with high spring tides, may cause some disruption.

“It’s likely that Sunday’s wind warning will be updated and refined as confidence increases, and more warnings for the rainfall that is expected is likely. It is therefore important people stay up to date with the latest forecast.”