Britain could be bathed in scorching heat until the middle of September during a "late blast of summer sunshine", according to some forecasts.
Temperatures are expected to soar to 28C today in parts of the UK and last for an estimated 12 days after weeks of unpredictable weather and unseasonal rain.
This would make it hotter than Portuguese destinations including Madeira and the Algarve, where temperatures are expected to climb to highs of 22C.
The blast of sunny weather is said to be down to a heat plume bringing warmth from Spain.
And it comes as much of Europe is sizzling in its own Indian Summer.
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Met Office forecaster Sarah Kent said the amount of heat through to this evening will depend on cloud coverage but that "mostly settled conditions" are expected.
The country has seen its ninth wettest August on record, with torrential rain earlier this month leading to multiple warnings being put in place as towns and cities flooded.
Ex-BBC and Met Office forecaster John Hammond of Weathertrending warned Brits "don't put away your garden furniture just yet", adding: "Many of us can look forward to some fine weather."
He told BirminghamLive: "A late blast of summer sunshine is on the menu. It will be late summer at its best, with a sunnier finale to a dull August.
"The mid-20s is possible by midweek, with the fine weather holding on for the weekend and for a few more days into September for most."
While the Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze told The Sun : “It should be one of the best spells of summer and feel pleasantly warm.
“There should be a good deal of sunshine.”
Ms Kent said: "High pressure is dominating this week bringing mostly settled conditions with variable amounts of cloud.
"However, there will be a north-easterly breeze coming in from the North Sea making it feel colder for some regions especially later on in the week.
"Where there is sun, particularly on Wednesday, temperatures could reach highs of 24C in England and Wales, while western areas in Scotland and Northern Ireland could be up to 26C.
"This all depends on the amount of cloud some regions see."
The Met Office long range weather report says there is high confidence that temperatures next month will be "near or above average" for the time of year - usually around 18C.
"High pressure is likely to dominate through the end of August and the start of September, resulting in fine and settled weather across the UK," it continues.
However, as the month goes on, it appears things may become more unsettled as the month goes on.
The forecast says: Confidence is decreasing into this period, however there is a signal for high pressure and associated settled conditions to gradually become less dominant, with a trend towards more unsettled weather expected into the second week of September."
Netweather’s long-range forecast said high pressure would be “more frequent than average” for the start of September.
