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UK Sees Warm Start to the Week With Colder Weather to Come - BLOOMBERG
(Bloomberg) -- The UK will be unseasonably warm on Monday and Tuesday, before temperatures dip over the course of the week.
The country’s mild winter continues, easing the energy crunch and pushing down power prices. Yet the heating season is not yet over, and conditions trend cooler from early March.
Temperatures in London are expected to be 3.6C above average on Monday, according to forecaster Maxar Technologies. By Saturday, they’ll be 2.3C below the seasonal norm as a colder spell sweeps northwestern Europe.
“Some stronger winds could develop in the east and south, making it feel colder here, though temperatures overall will be generally near or slightly below average,” the Met Office said in its long-range UK forecast covering the period from Friday until March 5.
Milder-than-normal weather is expected across continental Europe until the middle of the week, before a cold front moves through. Temperatures in Scandinavia will drop below seasonal norms by Tuesday and Wednesday.
For the continent as a whole, Maxar sees a total of 64.7 heating-degree days — a measure of the energy needed to heat homes — from Feb. 20 to Feb. 24. That’s below the 10-year average.
Below average rainfall in recent months is prolonging issues with hydropower generation. France is likely to end the month with a 50% rainfall deficit.
(Updates with Met Office outlook in fourth paragraph and forecasts of Europe from fifth)
