The weather is behaving for this year's Chelsea Flower Show. Hot and sunny, just downpours in the area on Saturday. They should stay away from SW3.
Silver-Gilt Medal Beneath a Mexican Sky, Manoj Malde
Chelsea Flower Show 2017 has started this week. The Queen and HRH Prince Philip visited yesterday with Monday being the Opening and Press day. It was bathed in glorious sunshine. Tuesday and Wednesday are for Members Only. Then Thursday, Friday and a shorter day on Saturday open to the public who have managed to get tickets. High pressure over the UK means this week's weather is looking good.
Thursday
It will be hot today with mostly clear blue skies, just a few cotton wool-like cumulus clouds. It will be very warm and humid at 28C (82F), so still feeling close and muggy. It will be dry, with just light winds. Even by 8pm, when the gates close it will still be 23C.
Heat and sunshine remains
The forecast still looks ideal through Thursday and Friday although a good deal of watering will be needed for the plants and stunning show gardens. It looks dry and warm with sunny spells, just lovely. There will be more of a breeze picking up on Friday from the E or SE.
Saturday is a bit more uncertain. It does look more windy with a fresh southeasterly whistling down the Thames. There is the threat of heavy and thundery rain coming in from the SW to the UK during Friday night. A band of hefty showers will move over London at some point on Saturday, there is low confidence about when, and the usual hot and miss of individual showers or thunderstorms. At the moment, this shouldn't affect the Flower Show but it maybe something to keep an eye on in the forecast if you are visiting on that day and wanting to carry home plant purchases.
Day by Day forecast here
Coverage on BBC2 all this week, with the super @TheMonthyDon
All the medals RHS Chelsea
