Temperatures could reach up to 20C this weekend in Essex as the UK faces what is being described as a ‘72-hour mini heatwave’.

After a wet start to spring which saw the county most recently hit by Storm Kathleen, temperatures are set to finally rise today before peaking on Friday afternoon.

In parts of the county, such as Loughton, Waltham Abbey and Grays, temperatures are set to hit 20C tomorrow. 

Basildon, Canvey and Benfleet will see highs of 19C while temperatures will reach 18C in Southend tomorrow afternoon.

The warmer temperatures are expected to continue into Saturday until Sunday, when temperatures will return to around 14C.

Sadly, we're unlikely to see any sun as the county is forecast to be overcast across the next few days.

A Met Office spokesperson said: “We are seeing some warmer air moving across the country from the West today, bringing some milder weather to much of the country later today and tomorrow.

“Temperatures are expected to peak tomorrow reaching high teens and maybe 20C in the South East, before cooler air pushes back in from the North West through Friday.”

The warmer weather over the next three days have been labelled as a 'mini-heatwave' by some national news outlets.

However, a true heatwave would only be reached if temperatures soared to above 25C in most areas, according to the Met Office.