THIS youngster enjoyed some unseasonally warm weather at Hinksey Lake as spring finally burst into life.

After the wettest winter on record, Oxfordshire basked in 18.5C temperatures on Sunday – the hottest day of the year and eight degrees warmer than the March average. And the good news is the above-season temperatures are set to stay this week.

Nicky Maxey of the Met Office said tomorrow and Thursday would see long periods of sunshine. She said: “Temperatures will be a degree or two above average for March. It won’t be quite as warm as Sunday, but it certainly will be above the average of 10C.

Herald Series:

Daffodils at Hinksey Park

“Today will be fairly cloudy but tomorrow we have got some periods of prolonged sunshine, especially in the afternoon where it will reach about 13C.

“And on Thursday the day will start off a little foggy around some parts of Oxfordshire but during the afternoon temperatures will start creeping up to about 11-12 degrees Celsius.

“Again, Friday is looking fairly cloudy but temperatures will still be above average at up to 10C. There is a low chance of some rain.”

Next week it is likely to be less settled and there would be a chance of some ice and frost in the county.