I think it is too late Phil....I best stop there. 

Wildfires breaking out in Sussex , don't think I've ever heard of this in winter before. Crazy.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-47377327

Depressing, in two respects, and I best stop too. But, yes, you're right, though I remain of the opinion there is hope.

Very high pollution levels (due to the heat, air mass, stagnation, time of year, wind direction - or all of those things?) in some places too I'm told - but few seems to care about their lungs either.

People care about Br... but the quality of the air they breath?

Well - having seen we can get 21 in February - 40C is definately possible with the right conditions. I would not have believed this until today - But yup - it's definately possible.

Found this on the front page of this thread!

Failed to beat the 1897 record last week when it only reached 17.4C, compared to 17.9C 122 years ago, and fell even further short this week with a max of 16.0C today. 

Moreover it reached 18.9C on 1st March 1891 so the two warmest days this early in the year were both recorded in the 1890s. Unlike in Southern England, it seems that the Urban Heat Island effect is not great enough to push us over the finishing line here.

Yeah, been thinking about this and Scott's comments. Considering the April record was in the 1940s, and that amazing early March 24C was also in the 40s, wonder if now the current potential maxima might be, all conditions perfect, something like- well, 21 in Feb, 27 in March, 32 in April, 35 in May (early June already has 34), 38 in June, 40 in July, 41 in August, 37 in Sep (35+ already), 30 in Oct (we might have done our best there for a while), 23 in Nov (remember 23.6 on 31st Oct) and surely 20 in December.

Sheffield and Bradford beat their records today.

The weather station at the uni of Leeds reached 19C, but not an official station. If it was, it would’ve broken the old record by 1.3C.

In terms of (what can’t be talked about) 😉 , I’d be interested to see similar synoptic setups, or even ones which would look to bring even warmer weather, at a similar time of year, which failed to bring such record-breaking temps. That’s the clincher really. Are very mild setups getting warmer? Very cold setups are still very cold, but perhaps not as cold as they were previously? 

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/maps/GFSOPEU18_0_1.png

At face value I wouldn’t have thought we’d have got quite so warm as we have done. Seeing that chart 7 days out, I’d have suggested it’d be chilly in the far SE with winter HP dominant. Very mild towards the NW. 

Incredible weather. 

Well we will not see the records fall for the rest of Feb so the proof of the pudding has to be 'When will this repeat' ?

If its hundreds of years then its 'weather'

If its the next ten years then .................???

Leaving aside the technical definition of the end of winter, heath fires are not unknown in March (not so far removed from February) There were fires in March near Bournemouth last year, and previously in 2015

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/districts/christchurch/galleries/st_catherines_hill/

and IIRC (though I can't find a reference) a big one ion Hurtwood Heath, Surrey mid-March in the late 1970s which forced the postponement of an orienteering event that I was interested in.

We have another moorland fire! 

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/live-fire-saddleworth-moor-marsden-15892383 

I’ve been wheezing a lot recently and my doctor thinks I have developed asthma - I wonder if this has anything to do with the terrible air pollution in this part of the world over the summer? Sleeping with the window open every night, easterly wind, distinct smell of smoke a lot of the time. 

Probably unlikely, probably just being paranoid, but I do wonder... 

Air quality has been absolutely dreadful recently too. The air pollution level in Leeds today was 9/10.

The answer was clearly just days away then!

There's a big fire on Arthur's Seat tonight 😲

All the winter die back , that tinder dry yellow cover, is just ripe for a stray spark!

Normally late March in my youth? ( along with 'cardboard slides' down the dead grass hills?)

I think the dinosaurs and most probably the Romans may disagree with the claims that we’ve experienced the warmest winter day EVER... 😉.

Nudged 17c a couple of times here but quite surreal as it never felt properly warm unless in direct sunlight where the warmth of the sun could really be felt. Surreal too to be scraping ice off the car on the same day!

An amazing month to experience and goes down in my book of memorable weather events with December 2010 and others too.

Despite the blue skies over the past few days there has been a distinct brown layer of gunk close to the horizon - I could see it even in rural Hampshire at the weekend, and from my office in London it looked awful!

This year

Last year: snow, bitter wind, snow cover

I doubt very much it would be just a stray spark GW.

In Weymouth the other day looking NE and the low level pollution haze over the Poole Bournemouth conurbation was significant.

Today could be Gravesend's Day.  For it to get the daily max, the wind would need to be SW, rather than W. Watch this space.

When I drive down to work off Dartmoor I thank my lucky stars part of my day I'm breathing something relatively clean above much of the gunk. I then think 'what more can I do to about this? Do i want to contribute as little to this as I can?'

I will email my MP again this week, I need to get the bike out for the summer and I need to stop admiring what protestors do and get involved.

I don't think you are paranoid and don't forget the pollution from diesel. The UK has the worst lung disease rates in Europe.

It is worrying really.

All those fires over the summer will have released lots of “nasties” built up over years and years from industrial pollution (stored up in the peat).

We had a prevailing easterly wind for weeks, affecting some of the most populated areas of the country, and EVERYONE will have had their windows open.