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Forecaster Dan Williams said: "Summer-like weather will return to the UK with conditions and temperatures due to improve as we head into the weekend.
"This will come as welcome news to many after a spell of disappointing weather over the past few days which has seen prolonged rainfall and some unseasonably strong winds.
"Overnight temperatures in some rural areas could fall to a few degrees above freezing - with a few isolated spots even seeing frost early on Thursday.
"This is all set to change, however, as the northerly flow will be cut off to allow westerly winds, and milder air, to push in later on Thursday."
It is the latest turn in the changeable summer weather which kicked off with a July heatwave followed by autumnal wind and rain.
Temperatures have been well below-average over the past few days partly thanks to a southerly wedged jet stream allowing cold air in from the north.
Experts say the fast-flowing ribbon of air which heavily influences the weather is about to shift to a more normal northerly position.
As the sun prepares to come out again parts of Britain are a picture of summer with flowers still in bloom after the cooler weather.
Photographer Jet Nepomuceno captured a field of purple lavender at Castle Farm in Sevenoaks, Kent, under a beautiful sunset.
Leon Brown, forecaster for The Weather Channel UK, said swathes of Britain will bask in above-average temperatures into Monday thanks to a Continental "plume".
He said: "Thursday looks set to be a drier and brighter day as high pressure extends more widely across the UK.
"Monday will be much warmer than of late with temperatures 1 to 3 degrees above normal in the south and east as a plume of warm air moves northwards off the continent."
Weather Network forecaster Chris Burton said: "Through Sunday and the very beginning of next week, there are signs of a brief spell of much warmer weather moving in to parts of the UK.
"With low pressure to the west of the UK, south-easterly winds could develop, allowing some very warm weather to spread in from Europe."
The promise of a return to summer after the washout July has sparked a flurry of bets on August sunshine.
Coral has slashed odds on the the hottest August on record with punters still hedging their bets that the year as a whole will be warmer than usual.
Spokeswoman Nicola McGeady said: "July has turned into a complete washout and after being flooded with bets over the weekend on it being the wettest month ever, punters could end up
rejoicing the miserable weather.
"However we are expecting the misery to end in August, with the odds indicating we could be in for a scorcher."
James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, said warm weather this weekend could be a taste of things to come for the rest of summer.
He said: "The transition to warmer and more settled conditions is likely to see temperatures surging to heatwave conditions for many parts of the country during the early part of August as
high pressure becomes dominant across our shores.
"This pattern change is likely to be quite significant and it will lead us in to a largely settled August with periods of warm to very hot weather for many, in particular, in parts of the
south.
"However with this type of heat comes the risk of some widespread thunderstorms."
Netweather said temperatures could hit a steamy 30C (86F) on Friday in the South with highs of 25C (77F) elsewhere.
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