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| Britain set for warmest Halloween on record | Britain set for warmest Halloween on record |
| (4 days later) | |
| Britain is in for a treat with Halloween set to be the warmest on record as forecasters predict unseasonable temperatures of up to 21C on Friday. | Britain is in for a treat with Halloween set to be the warmest on record as forecasters predict unseasonable temperatures of up to 21C on Friday. |
| That would eclipse the Halloween record of 20C in Dartford, Kent in 1968, said the Met Office. | That would eclipse the Halloween record of 20C in Dartford, Kent in 1968, said the Met Office. |
| “We remain on track for the warmest Halloween since records began, with a very mild southerly flow across England and Wales to eastern Scotland,” said Leon Brown, meteorologist of the Weather Channel UK. “There will be plenty of sunshine too, with temperatures widely 18 to 20C, and some spots no doubt 21C in eastern England. | |
| The average October maximum temperature in England is 13.9C and for Wales 13C so temperatures at the moment are well above the norm. | The average October maximum temperature in England is 13.9C and for Wales 13C so temperatures at the moment are well above the norm. |
| “The reason it’s much milder than normal is a tropical continental air flow which is bringing warm and moist air to the UK from the Azores,” said Laura Young, a Met Office spokeswoman. | “The reason it’s much milder than normal is a tropical continental air flow which is bringing warm and moist air to the UK from the Azores,” said Laura Young, a Met Office spokeswoman. |
| While the balmy weather will be a boon for trick and treaters, pumpkin farmers have been less cheery. Growers said this year has been the worst pumpkin season in a decade. Hundreds of thousands of pumpkins rotting in the fields following wet weather had to be pulped rather than heading for the supermarket. | While the balmy weather will be a boon for trick and treaters, pumpkin farmers have been less cheery. Growers said this year has been the worst pumpkin season in a decade. Hundreds of thousands of pumpkins rotting in the fields following wet weather had to be pulped rather than heading for the supermarket. |
| Halloween is a major moneyspinner for supermarkets and is the UK’s second largest retail festival after Christmas. An estimated 10 million pumpkins are grown in the UK every year – 95% will be carved into hollowed-out lanterns for Halloween and 5% will be used for soups, stews and pies. | Halloween is a major moneyspinner for supermarkets and is the UK’s second largest retail festival after Christmas. An estimated 10 million pumpkins are grown in the UK every year – 95% will be carved into hollowed-out lanterns for Halloween and 5% will be used for soups, stews and pies. |
| Demand from retailers has soared by 35% this year as Halloween gets ever more popular. | Demand from retailers has soared by 35% this year as Halloween gets ever more popular. |
| After good, sunny growing conditions in August and September, the heavy rain of October has made pumpkin skins soft. With extra humidity they turned soggy and collapsed before they were harvested. On some farms JCB diggers were used to remove the wasted crops. Lincolnshire was particularly hard hit. | After good, sunny growing conditions in August and September, the heavy rain of October has made pumpkin skins soft. With extra humidity they turned soggy and collapsed before they were harvested. On some farms JCB diggers were used to remove the wasted crops. Lincolnshire was particularly hard hit. |
| After Halloween’s unseasonably warm temperatures, the forecast is for unsettled weather through the weekend with showery outbreaks of rain for many, although there may be some drier periods during Sunday. It will also begin to turn cooler with temperatures falling back to more typical levels for the time of year. | After Halloween’s unseasonably warm temperatures, the forecast is for unsettled weather through the weekend with showery outbreaks of rain for many, although there may be some drier periods during Sunday. It will also begin to turn cooler with temperatures falling back to more typical levels for the time of year. |
| Early Met Office figures up to 28 October show it has been a warm and rather wet month, but it will not break any records. The UK mean temperature for the month so far is 11.0C, which is 1.5C above the long-term (1981-2010) average. | Early Met Office figures up to 28 October show it has been a warm and rather wet month, but it will not break any records. The UK mean temperature for the month so far is 11.0C, which is 1.5C above the long-term (1981-2010) average. |
| While above average, that is well short of the record of 12.2C set in 2001 and would currently rank 11th warmest in digitised national records dating back to 1910. Last year’s October (11.2C), and that of 2011 (11.3C), were both warmer than this year’s early figure. | While above average, that is well short of the record of 12.2C set in 2001 and would currently rank 11th warmest in digitised national records dating back to 1910. Last year’s October (11.2C), and that of 2011 (11.3C), were both warmer than this year’s early figure. |
| October has followed the trend for above average temperatures this year. Nine out of the 10 months in 2014 have seen above average mean temperatures, with only August having been below average. | October has followed the trend for above average temperatures this year. Nine out of the 10 months in 2014 have seen above average mean temperatures, with only August having been below average. |
| • This article was amended on Monday 3 November 2014. The meteorologist of the Weather Channel UK quoted in the article is Leon Brown, not Len Brown as we had it originally. |