VISITORS to York’s Museum Gardens enjoyed a day of bright sunshine and good weather yesterday, but more could be in store.

Forecasters have predicted warm temperatures this week to usher in the beginning of autumn, with highs of between 20 and 25 expected around the country in the next few days.

Locally, York will start cloudy today, before the sun burns through the cloud in the early afternoon and temperatures are expected to reach about 20 degrees Celsius, and expected to remain in the mid to late teens for the rest of the week.

In Selby, the forecast is roughly the same, while in Harrogate, temperatures are expected to be a little cooler, but still in the late teens.

Krista Mitchell, Met Office meteorologist, said that the contrast with the cool end to August would ensure temperatures feel even warmer, but it was difficult to say whether an Indian Summer – which the Met Office defines as “a warm, calm spell of weather occurring in autumn, especially in October and November” – would be likely.

She said: “It is a bit early to say about an Indian Summer for now. Even over next weekend we may get more unstable conditions. There is some argument as to whether this settled period will break down by then.”