UK weekend weather: Heavy rain and 17C highs in Britain today before 23C on Sunday
Britain endures pre-weekend washout with highs of just 63F today and heavy rain… but the sunshine is set to return TOMORROW with highs of 73F highs in the south by Sunday
Temperatures only hit 19C (66F) at Inverness today with highest reading in England just 18C (64F) in Exeter It means today is likely to be the first time in over a week that the mercury has not got over 20C (68F) in UKMost parts of Britain endured showers this morning before South of England brightened up this afternoonTomorrow to be sunny with 21C (70F) highs before Sunday will be 23C (73F) in South East but wet elsewhereBut forecasters are hopeful the warm weather will return in time for the Jubilee weekend at the start of June
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Much of Britain endured a washout today with heavy rain and temperatures much cooler than in recent days – but there is good news on the horizon, with the warm and sunny weather set to return for the weekend.
Temperatures only reached 19C (66F) this afternoon – with the UK hotspot at Inverness, followed by Exeter at 18C (64F) – meaning today is likely to be the first time in over a week that the mercury has not got over 20C (68F).
Most parts of Britain endured showers this morning, with the rain being most persistent across Northern Ireland North West England and western Scotland – although the South of England began to brighten up this afternoon.
And conditions will be sunny for most of England and Wales tomorrow with highs of 21C (70F) in the South East, although there will be further rain in pockets of northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Sunday is looking even warmer for the South East with temperatures of 23C (73F) expected amid sunny spells, although much of the rest of the UK will see rainfall – especially in the Midlands and North of England.
Next week rain and strong winds will sweep across most of the country as a result of a strengthening of the jet stream, but forecasters are hopeful the warm weather will return in time for the Jubilee weekend.
People sheltering with umbrellas while walking their dogs during showers this morning in Wimbledon, South West London
A woman carrying a toddler covers her head during rain showers on Wimbledon Common in South West London today
It comes after a very warm week which has seen highs of more than 22C (72F) every day since last Saturday – including the hottest day of the year so far on Tuesday when London Heathrow Airport got up to 27.5C (81.5F).
The UK’s previous 2022 high before this week was 23.6C (73.5F), recorded at Faversham in Kent on May 6 – and the last time the UK daily high was below 20C (68F) was Friday, May 12 when Manston in Kent got to 19.2C (66.6F).
Richard Miles, of the Met Office, said there is a chance that the high pressure system from the continent, responsible for the high temperatures and dramatic thunderstorms seen in some areas this week, will ‘encroach into the very far corner of the South East early next week’ and bring yet more thunderstorms to the region’.
However, forecasters now consider the possibility of ‘blood rain’, when concentrations of red dust or particles get mixed into rain and make it look red-hued as it falls, to be unlikely as the weather system loses its grip on the UK.
Blood rain, when it occurs in the UK, often leaves desert sand residue on cars and other surfaces. Mr Miles said that the recent good weather ‘is going to fall off Monday, Tuesday’.
He added: ‘Most places early next week will be feeling cooler than they have been this week.’ Elsewhere in the country will see ‘temperatures generally trending down to closer to average’, Mr Miles said.
He said that showers will be coming from the West, along with temperatures of 16C (61F) in the South West and 14C (57F) in parts of the North East. The average temperature for the month of May in England is 16C (61F).
And Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Rudman added: ‘The strengthening of the jet stream increases the chances of low-pressure systems developing over the Atlantic being pushed towards the UK.
A woman with an umbrella walking a dog during rain showers on Wimbledon Common in South West London today
Rain delays the start of the first day of the Tour match between Sussex and New Zealand in Hove, East Sussex, this morning
‘Although there are still some details to be determined on the depth and timings of these lows, what we do know is that there’s some unsettled weather on the way next week, with some strong winds likely from the middle of the week, especially in the north.
‘Weather of this nature isn’t unusual in a UK spring, with changes in the jet stream frequently bringing interludes of unsettled weather.’
Despite the gloomy forecast for the coming week, there is no need to cancel outdoor Jubilee street parties just yet, as the Met Office offers cautious optimism for the June bank holiday.
They said: ‘We’re still some two weeks away from the Jubilee Weekend, but the long-range outlook shows a trend for some possible warm weather in southern areas, and closer to average temperatures further north.’
On Wednesday night, Britons were woken up by huge thunderstorms with more than 28,000 lightning strikes recorded across the UK, English Channel and near continent in the 24 hours up to yesterday morning.
