After almost four months and a record–breaking summer including five heatwaves, the next couple of days may see the last warm weather of the year.
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couple → break → year
Every day since June 11, temperatures of at least 20C have been recorded at least somewhere in Britain.
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temperatures → record → Britain
The Meteorological Office said this week will be 'feeling warm initially but turning colder for all'.
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week → say → all
After early fog, warm sunshine is likely to be widespread on Monday, when temperatures could again reach the low 20s England and parts of Wales, with highs of 23C (73F) in the South.
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temperatures → reach → South
London is set to reach 21C (70F) on Tuesday, too.
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London → set → Tuesday
But, from Wednesday onwards, daytime highs are them expected to fall into the mid–teens Celsius – more common for the time of year.
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highs → expect → year
The change will arrive after a band of rain moves south through Tuesday into Wednesday,
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band → arrive → Wednesday
The Met Office said the rain could be 'potentially heavy for a time in the southeast'.
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rain → say → southeast
Dry and bright weather is set to return 'for most places' on Thursday but it will feel cooler.
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it → set → Thursday
A red deer stag at sunrise during the annual rut on October 2 in Richmond Park, London
Into next weekend, forecasters say it 'will be a changeable period as weather systems move in from the Atlantic, bringing spells of rain or showers to most areas'.
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systems → say → areas
The cooler weather comes after the fourth warmest September since records began in 1884, according to provisional figures from the Met Office.
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records → come → Office
Even at the very end of the month, a warm spell brought temperatures of up to 28.1C (82.5F) at Kew Gardens, west London, last Tuesday.
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spell → bring → Gardens
The summer heatwaves are still having an effect – as the cider makers revealed they are set to have the worst harvest since their records began in 1984.
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records → have → 1984
The poor crop is down to the dry conditions 'stressing out' the apple trees, growers say.
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growers → stress → trees
At Burrow Hill Cider in Kingsbury Episcopi, Somerset, where cider has been produced for over 300 years from its 200 acres of orchards, the crop is down about 50 per cent on last year.
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crop → produce → year
The 'extremely long and hot summer and lack of rainfall has meant the apples have ripened prematurely, are smaller than usual and have dropped to the ground by the stressed trees', the company says.
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company → mean → trees
Meanwhile, the effects of a hot, dry summer could see a vibrant but unpredictable display of autumn colour along with some plants flowering out of season, the National Trust has said.
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Trust → see → season
Despite signs of a 'false autumn', in which drought–stressed tree leaves have turned brown and dropped early, the ingredients are still there for a colourful season – particularly if the coming weeks bring cooler, settled weather.
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weeks → stress → weather
The summer sunshine should produce strong colour in the healthy foliage that remains but it is likely to be more varied than usual, the trust adds.
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trust → produce → foliage
But it is likely to be more varied than usual, the charity said.
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charity → say → ?
Some plants have responded to recent rain with fresh growth or a second flowering out of season – meaning there could be spots where maples are in autumn colour alongside rhododendrons in bloom.
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maples → respond → bloom
Luke Barley, senior national specialist in trees and woodland at the National Trust, said: 'Autumn colour always depends on a combination of factors, but after such an extraordinary summer the usual signals are much harder to read.'
Trees may be more vulnerable than usual to high winds, the trust fears, as they may have to wet, stormier weather brought by the current super–strength El Nino whilst holding onto their leaves amid milder conditions.
The arrival of autumn also looks set to vary significantly from place to place, too, the National Trust said.
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Trust → say → place
Gardeners at Cotohele in Cornwall are expecting it three to four weeks later than usual, as its North American ash – one of the first trees to turn, sometimes as early as August – only began showing hints of its pink–purple colour in the third week of September.
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ash → expect → September
But one of the key signs of autumn – the conker – may be in short supply as drought has led to a less abundant, noticeably smaller, crop at its estates, the trust said.
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trust → lead → estates
The Aporia
