Parts of the UK will enjoy 21°C sunshine over the May bank holiday weekend after today’s scattered showers clear – ahead of thunderstorms next week ahead of the King’s coronation.
There will be some downpours in the north of England and most of Scotland on Friday, with showers also moving across Wales and Northern Ireland.
But in the north and east, rain and drizzle will gradually dissipate, the Met Office said, with parts of Scotland remaining rather overcast. Clear or sunny spells will develop elsewhere as warm weather settles in for the weekend.
Top temperatures of 18°C can be seen in the south of England and London today, while mild weather will set in further north.
But after a week of significantly cooler weather, Britons can look forward to temperatures above 20C on Monday, the first bank holiday of the month.
After a week of significantly cooler weather, Britons can look forward to temperatures above 20C on Monday, the first bank holiday of the month
Londoners could see temperatures of 21C on Monday, which would be the highest recorded this year
Friday night will remain mostly cloudy and mild, but showers may persist in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
There will be widespread clear and sunny spells at the start of the bank holiday weekend, but some thunderstorms may form in the west towards the end of the day.
The rest of the weekend will remain ‘quite warm’, but with a chance of some heavy showers and thunderstorms on Sunday and Monday.
Four flood warnings remain in effect today across the south of England.
Temperatures across much of England and Wales are expected to reach the high teens, with possible highs of over 20C.
The UK is likely to experience the warmest weather of 2023 over the bank holiday weekend.
The highest temperature of the year so far, 20.2C, was recorded in Kinlochew, Scotland earlier this month.
Met Office forecaster Alex Deakin said: ‘There will be some heavy showers, but there will also be a lot of dry and clear weather.
“It feels a bit more humid and that moisture will cause heavy showers in some places. But with high pressure in the lead it certainly won’t be a blunder.’
On Saturday, Mr Deakin said a weather front in the north of England and Scotland will bring “quite a lot of cloud cover and some bursts of rain” in the morning before pushing further north later in the day.
He continued: “Severe showers are expected to form during the day. Parts of Wales, Northern Ireland and Northern England are most likely to see them. Still hit and miss, but where they occur, pretty strong showers, heavy downpours and pretty slow driving.’
While warm weather is on the way, the Met Office warns that there will also be heavy downpours in parts of the UK
There are four flood warnings on Friday, all in the south of England
Forecasters say London could see temperatures of 20 degrees on Saturday
If temperatures reach 21°C on Monday, as predicted, Monday would be the hottest day of the year so far
‘By the time we get to Sunday, we’re looking at weak weather fronts advancing again (…) Sunday will see the most showers of the three days over the weekend, so you should be glad you’re staying dry.
‘Although many computer models suggest that East Anglia and the South East will not see many showers here, so a decent chance of a dry day here.
“Somewhere else there will be showers and again they can be quite slow, which means they will last for a while and will also be quite heavy.”
He added: ‘It’s still fairly mild with that warmer air moving north over the next few days. Temperatures will rise even in northern Scotland.’
On Monday, Mr Deakin said an area of high pressure will dominate the UK.
“On Monday we will see some more (showers), probably in northern Scotland, and after probably a few dry days, eastern England is the area most likely to see showers.”
He concluded: ‘Many places at this stage look dry and good with some sunny spells, and again warmer than it has been.’
Temperatures will peak at 21C in London on Monday, the Met Office said.
The warm weather comes during the countdown to King Charles III’s coronation ceremony on May 6, where Queen Camilla will also be officially crowned.
There is an additional holiday on May 9 to commemorate the occasion.
