The mercury hit 29.9C in the South East – making it hotter in England than in Mexico, Antigua and the Sahara Desert.
But Northern Ireland and Scotland – where torrential rain fell yesterday – are missing out.
The 29.9 figure – recorded in Gravesend, Kent – beat the previous October record of 29.4C set in 1985 at March, Cambs. And red-hot October is likely to last until at least Tuesday.
Temperatures today are expected to be close to 30C – extraordinary given that it’s less than a month until the clocks go back for winter.
A Met Office spokesman said: “All parts of England will have fine weather until Tuesday at the very least when westerly winds will bring cooler temperatures and a chance of showers. The South East and the Midlands are expected to see the best of the fine weather.”
The warm front, triggered by high pressure to the east, has led to thousands of people booking last-minute seaside getaways. More than 300,000 people will flock to Brighton beach over the weekend. By last night the city’s 16,000 hotel rooms were full.
In Bournemouth the beach was so busy the council had to take its deckchairs and sun-loungers out of storage. In Cornwall, lifeguards were called back from their breaks.
Meanwhile ice cream makers are struggling to cope with massive demand. Luigi Coronato, who runs eight ice cream vans in Nottingham, has increased production by 75 per cent. He said: “After the recession, everyone is feeling the pinch, but this makes a big difference.”
Sarah Bennett, 19, from London, who is a student at Bournemouth University, was on the beach with her new friends.
She said: "I can't believe it's October. I didn't bring any summer clothes with me so I have to go out and buy some.
"I never thought I'd be sunbathing and swimming in the sea when I started the term.
"It is absolutely fantastic and I've been in touch with all my school friends and they are very jealous that I am in Bournemouth."
A spokesman from the resort's tourism office said: "In the week over 90 per cent of the hotel rooms had been booked in advance.
"Hotels were ringing each other up to try and find spare rooms. We have put extra staff out on the beach and we are enjoying the August weather that we never really had."
Ice cream seller Ray Downes said: "It's incredible. I thought that the days of warm weather were over - but this week has been exceptional.
"Spring was glorious, the summer was awful, and now autumn is great. I've been shifting thousands of lollipos and ice creams and this is set to me my best weekend of the year."
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