Britain is set to enjoy one last blast of summer sunshine before the more characteristic autumnal weather of heavy rain and cooler nights arrives in October.
Parts of the UK awoke to a thick blanket of fog and poor visibility this morning, but the conditions soon deteriorated to make way for the dry and warm weather which is set to last into next week.
The Met Office has predicted temperatures of up to 21C in some parts of Britain on Thursday, several degrees above the 16.5C average for this time of year.
Forecasters said early morning spells of fog and mist could still be present over the coming days, due to longer, clearer nights, but said the return of the sunshine later in the week would make for a 'pleasant weekend'.
It will be a relief for some who awoke to extremely poor visibility in some parts of the country today.
Emma Corrigan, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said thick fog left visibility levels at less than 100metres in some areas today prompting the weather agency to issue a warning to commuters.
The worst affected regions included east Devon, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset, as well as parts of Kent and south London.
Ms Corrigan said: 'There were a lot of mist and fog patches this morning and some were quite dense, especially across southern parts.
'Visibility in some places was below 100metres, making for quite poor conditions to the start of the day in many locations.
'The weather warning was issued first thing to make people aware of the dense fog patches in the morning commute.'
She said temperatures would rise to around 18C to 19C tomorrow before soaring to 21C in central and southern parts on Thursday.
Despite the warmer weather tomorrow, parts of central and southern England and Wales will be greeted with a cloudy start and occasional outbreaks of rain.
However, this will clear by the afternoon to make way for a late blast of summer sun.
Ms Corrigan said: 'Outbreaks will clear away to the south east as we go through the morning, lingering until mid-afternoon.
'But, as it clears, the drier and brighter conditions in the north and north west will increasingly spread to other parts of England and Wales.
'By the end of the day, a lot of places will be dry with some late sunshine.'
It will be the start of the warm weather to come, with temperatures reaching 21C in the south on Thursday – but not until after some early morning fog as dispersed.
Ms Corrigan said there was the potential for 'isolated mist and fog patches' overnight on Wednesday but said a warmer air mass would see the arrival of sunshine and above-average temperatures by mid-morning.
Friday will be slightly less balmy, although temperatures are expected to remain above the average of 16.5C for this time of year.
Parts of the North West will endure stronger winds and isolated showers, but most will be 'fairly light and quite patchy'.
Saturday will see winds ease across the north and the majority of the UK will enjoy dry and bright conditions, albeit interspersed with a little cloud.
'It could be quite cloudy at some times which might ruin the weekend for some people but it will be mainly dry,' Ms Corrigan said.
The dry weather and above average temperatures are set to last long into next week, before the more common conditions of this time of year return in the middle of October.
Ms Corrigan said temperatures would start to drop overnight as we progressed through October, making for cooler nights and the risk of frost.
Today's dry weather was welcomed by those celebrating the first official day of Autumn, including the dozens who turned out to Primrose Hill, north London, to mark the autumnal equinox.
Astronomers base the first day of Autumn on the autumnal equinox, when night and day are roughly equal length.
For them, Autumn continues until the Winter Solstice when daylight hours are at their shortest, which is around December 21.
Many celebrate the day by ushering in winter and welcoming the shorter days and cooler climes, while others wake at dawn to watch the sun rise at historical sites, including Stonehenge in Wiltshire.
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