After such a wet, cool May there will be sunshine and warmth. A look at the forecast for the UK this Bank Holiday weekend.
Yes, there is a Bank Holiday weather and sunny, warm weather coming up. Here are ten things to know about the end of May weather around the UK.
1. Temperatures - Widely it will warm up into the high teens and low twenties. The top temperature looks to be around 25C on Sunday or Monday for inland England, 77 Fahrenheit. Even Scotland could see temperatures reaching 22 or 23C through the Central Belt or for Moray. We don't need to get carried away with the "heatwave" headlines but this will be a significant change in the UK weather and well-timed for the holiday weekend. The UK May record is 32.8C, so we're not up near that.
2. Sitting out in the evening - If you have a booking at the pub, BBQ plans or meal outside, so far this month it has been chilly and damp. This weekend promises better weather and it won’t be as cold. After Friday evening, there will be a lot of dry weather although low cloud will swing in from the North Sea and that can make the air feel colder. With daytime temperatures into the high teens and low 20sC, there will be some lingering warmth into the night and hardly any breeze until Monday evening. Evening temperatures will be 9 to 17C and for campers there will be few problems. No high winds, lightning or heavy rain.
3. Wet Wales - Wales has seen its wettest May on record with a huge amount of rainfall. This weekend will be drier for Wales too, although with a slower start on Saturday. Don’t worry if the skies start off grey, the sun is on its way with temperatures
4. What’s changed? The Jetstream has shifted northwards. It was to the south, the UK was stuck in colder air with an unstable, showery airmass. Then low pressures headed in from the Atlantic, bringing more rain. Now the jet has moved, and pressure is building for the end of the month, well-timed
5. Wind direction - The main driver for our weekend weather is a high pressure centred over the North Sea. Winds will be very light and flow around this with an easterly breeze for East Anglia and southern England and a southerly breeze for the rest of the UK. By Monday, the winds will be 10 to 15mph, so still light but just a bit more than on other days. So Skegness, Cromer and Margate will have a breeze off the sea whereas Blackpool, Aberystwyth and Ilfracombe will fair well.
6. Pollen - The grass pollen season has started. So far this year it has been tree pollen causing a reaction but that is now fading. As we head into June the grass pollen season takes off and there will be moderate levels in the warm sunshine for the end of May.
7. UV levels - Even in the colder air through most of May, in any sheltered spots you could feel the warmth from the sun. Over the coming days, there will be a light breeze, plenty of sunshine and warmth. The UV levels are moderate to high and so do remember your sunscreen, a sunhat and sunglasses. We are all a bit out of practice about dressing for warm weather and sunshine. Don’t get burnt.
8. Sea temperatures - A dip in the sea this weekend is still not going to be that warm. There is a lag in the seasonal heating of the seas. September/October time is less chilly. The SST chart shows the Sea Surface Temperatures, still cold off NE Scotland and around 12C for a few inland parts of Wales and southern England. Have a little paddle with your trousers rolled up, mid-shin.
9. And the rest of Half Term? It looks to get even warmer through Tuesday and Wednesday with UK temperatures reaching into the mid 20sC. 27C, maybe 28C (82F). The fine, sunny and dry weather will last for the first part of the week, but it could then become unsettled with heavy downpours from the SW from midweek onwards.
10. Summer? Does this mean we going to have a good summer? Too early to say, just enjoy the warm sunshine this weekend. You might even have to water the garden, how novel.
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