Londoners have enjoyed balmy temperatures this afternoon, with the mercury reaching nearly 18C in the city centre.

Exceptionally mild weather graced the capital this Thursday, February 15, with the Met Office recording 18C in Teddington shortly after 12pm.

Central London also hit similar temperatures in the afternoon, with St James Park reaching highs of 17.8C in the early afternoon, according to forecaster Craig Snell.

The record high for this February was set in 2019, when 21.2C was recorded in Kew Gardens.

Mr Snell said: "While not record-breaking, (Thursday's) temperatures are definitely on the higher end of the scale, with it feeling a lot more like spring than winter.

"This will be a welcome reminder that we only have two weeks left of winter, spring is just on our doorstep."

Londoners should prepare for a slight dip in temperatures on Friday, which are expected to average around 14C and peak at 15C.

This is still much milder than London's average temperatures for February, which typically hover around 9C.

The capital can still expect some balmy sunshine tomorrow between 8am and 5pm before the cool evening takes over.

The promising weather trend regrettably won't hold for the weekend.

The forecast predicts "increasing cloud and wind on Saturday, ahead of heavy rain arriving by the evening."

The sun may make a brief appearance on Sunday, but it's likely to be a breezy day.

On Monday, the Met Office said there will be a dry start to the day, with showers in the west later on.

London is excluded from the yellow weather warnings about rain, which cover much of the south-west and the Midlands, for Thursday, February 15 until the early hours of Friday morning.

The Met Office advised that a few areas could experience flooding, causing disruptions to travel and potentially power supplies.