It is set to turn warmer across the United Kingdom over the next few days, with temperatures peaking around 25C (77F).

Widely, however, temperatures will climb into the low 20s Celsius, which is around five degrees higher than the average for late September.

It will also stay mostly dry with some sunny spells, though rain is likely at times across northern and western parts of the UK.

The warmth is likely to last for much of the week across England and Wales while it gets a bit cooler in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

High pressure is building across the UK and this means the weather will become more settled with brighter conditions.

After a chilly start on Monday morning, with sunshine and light winds across much of England and Wales, temperatures will climb into the low 20s.

It will also start to feel more humid again.

That more humid air combined with light winds across England and Wales into Tuesday means it will start off rather misty and foggy with areas of low cloud for some.

Once the sun has broken through though, it will feel warmer still.

Temperatures could peak at around 24 or 25C in south-east England, but reach the low 20s Celsius in many other parts of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Eastern Scotland.

The highest temperature though will be determined by how much the cloud breaks allowing the strong September sunshine through.

2026 has already been a record-breaking year for the number of days above 25C, with last week exceeding the record of 89 days set in 1959.

At the start of the week, high pressure will largely block rain-bearing weather systems from crossing the UK.

However, some rain is possible on Tuesday as a weather front moves into western Scotland and the west of Northern Ireland.

This will become more substantial by Wednesday, stretching across Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and western areas of England, as high pressure is nudged a bit further east.

It will also turn a bit cooler here with temperatures back to around the average of 14 to 18C.

Drier and warmer conditions will likely persist in east and south-east England with temperatures once again reaching the mid-20s Celsius.

While temperatures may go down by a few degrees for the end of the week, it will still be warmer than average with temperatures in the high teens to low 20s.

The settled, drier weather will also likely last in southern and eastern England too with little rain for places continuing to experience drought conditions.

The warmer spell of weather this week will not meet the criteria to become a heatwave.

The Met Office defines this as temperatures reaching 26 to 28C - dependent on location - for three consecutive days.

With temperatures expected to be more like 20-25C, it will fall short of the threshold.

However, these temperatures are notably warm for late September and it could therefore feel like summer has made a return.

Warm spells at the end of September are fairly usual as the UK can still get hot air transported from southern Europe or North Africa with any southerly airflow.

The last week of September also looks like it will be slightly warmer than average overall across the UK, despite being less warm than this week.

The forecast further ahead and into October is more uncertain but signs are it could start to feel more like autumn with wetter and windier weather becoming more dominant.

You can stay up to date with the latest BBC Weather Monthly Outlook here.