Cold front to cut Uk Weather warmth before bank holiday rain
Uk weather is set to turn cooler on Friday as a cold front moves east across the UK, ending the brief run of unseasonable warmth and bringing cloud, showers and cooler air. Parts of south-east England could still reach 26C before the change arrives.
By Saturday, most of the UK will be in cooler air, and more than 4 million journeys are expected on the roads. The RAC motoring group says the early May Bank Holiday weekend is set to be the busiest on the roads for 10 years.
Friday warmth across the UK
Friday’s highest temperatures are expected in south-east England, where parts could hit 26C. The East Midlands and Yorkshire could reach 24C, while eastern Scotland could be slightly cooler at 22C. Thursday was already Scotland’s warmest day of the year so far, with 23.9C recorded in Achnagart in the Highlands.
The cold front will push eastwards across the UK on Friday, bringing cloud, showers and cooler air across Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and western England. Some of the showers could be heavy and thundery, setting up the shift that drivers and holidaymakers will feel first on the west side of the country.
RAC bank holiday traffic
Saturday is expected to bring afternoon highs of only 13C in Scotland. Elsewhere, apart from eastern England, temperatures are not expected to rise much past the mid teens. South-eastern counties of England and East Anglia could stay dry for much of the day with temperatures in the low twenties.
The road risk is not just the temperature drop. Showers through Saturday morning are forecast across Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and western England, with heavy, thundery bursts possible in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Later in the day, showers are expected to spread into eastern and southern England, and light winds could make some of the later downpours slow-moving and long-lasting.
Sunday and Monday outlook
On Sunday, the focus for heavy, thundery downpours will be across the southern half of the UK in England and Wales, with a high chance of lightning in the east and south-east of England. Northern Ireland and Scotland are expected to stay mostly dry but cloudy, with the chance of some sunny spells later.
Bank Holiday Monday is looking rather grey and cloudy in general, though some sunshine should appear at times in northern Scotland, Northern Ireland and north-west and south-west England. Across southern and central counties of England, cloud and light showers could linger for much of the day, leaving the holiday weekend unsettled after Friday’s brief warmth fades.
