The capital is set to be dry, warm and sunny for the weekend just as warnings come in for hurricane Ophelia next week.

Friday is expected to be dry but cloudy, with some sunny spells in London and a maximum temperature of 21C.

Saturday will be warm at 20C, with sunny spells and a small chance of a “spot of rain” in the evening.

Sunday is expected to be “very warm” and sunny throughout the day. Temperatures may reach 23C.

This weather is expected until Tuesday when hurricane Ophelia could bring winds of up to 70mph when it hits Britain's shores.

Met Office forecaster Alex Burkhill said: “Ophelia became a hurricane overnight and the forecast track takes it eastwards towards Iberia for the weekend.

“After that, indications are that by that point it will then have weakened and be no longer a hurricane or tropical storm, it will be extratropical.

“But then it will continue its way towards the British Isles, probably reaching us very early next week.”

Mr Burkhill said cold sea temperatures mean Ophelia will not be strong enough to be categorised as a hurricane when it hits Britain.

But he added: “It's definitely something that we are keeping an eye on, for the possibility of some disruptive weather early next week.”