HALF term is here and for many parents it’s a chance to get out of the house with the kids.

And there's good news on the weather front.  Here’s our guide to the February half term forecast.

What is the weather forecast for February half term?

School half term in most areas runs from February 18-22 not including the two weekends.

Blustery rain showers will make indoor activities the best choice early in the week in the north and west.

Flood warnings have been issued on the Cumbrian coastline and North Sea coast at Easington and Kilnsea on February 20.

The Environment Agency also issued 26 flood alerts for the River Avon, Mersey Estuary and coastlines in Somerset, North Devon and North Cornwall.

Bright weather will make outdoor activities more fun in the south and east.

On Thursday the weather will be more settled in the north and west but with some strong winds.

Friday will see some rain in the north and across Scotland but will bring in mild air across the whole of the country.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: “North-western parts of the UK will be wet and windy at times this week, but settled conditions will spread to all parts of the country by the weekend, bringing plenty of sunshine and unseasonably mild temperatures that could well compete with current February temperature records.”

What temperatures can we expect over half term?

Forecasters say it could be hotter than Australia by the end of the week thanks to a "Saharan Plume".

Early in the week temperatures will be around 10 or 11C, with winds making it feel cooler.

But the Met Office has said temps will climb into the mid to high teens by the end of the week.

Temperatures of 15-18C are predicted on Friday 22-Saturday 23 — with a chance of smashing the record for the warmest February day ever.

The Met Office's Steve Willington said: “By the weekend we could see temperatures almost 10 degrees higher than what we might normally expect at this time of year, so there will certainly be a spring-like feel in the air across the country. "

Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell told The Sun Online: "At the moment, we are looking to reach 18C, most likely in central southern England, or it could be in north-east Wales or north-east Scotland.

"The record is 19.7C in 1998. At this stage, there is a small chance that we could get close, but not for definite."

Meanwhile in Tasmania — where it is summer — highs of 17C are predicted from mid-week.

Becky from the Met Office said of the warm spell on the way: "It is originating from northern Africa and the Canary Islands, coming up from the south.

"There is a big area of high pressure moving across the UK, so it will be nice and sunny too.

"It will be mild right across the country but it’s localised spots that will get the extremely mild temperatures."

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The Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze said: “Computer models show record 20C February temperatures are possible from the coming weekend.

“Families flying abroad for half term sun could have stayed home and gone to a UK beach instead."

The unseasonably mild weather saw the warmest St Valentine's Day in more than 20 years with 16.1C (61F) recorded at Bala in North Wales.

Weathermen had forecast a return to snowy conditions at the end of February, but now they say it will stay mild for the coming weeks.

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