Starmer Caught in London Hailstorm as 12C Cold Lingers — London Weather Today
London weather today turned sharply colder on Wednesday morning as a hailstorm swept the capital and temperatures fell to around 12C. Sir Keir Starmer and Lady Victoria were caught in the hail while traveling from 10 Downing Street to the House of Lords for the State Opening of Parliament.
The Met Office said London would hover around 12C for much of Wednesday, leaving the city colder than Helsinki, which had a 17C high, and Oslo, which reached 15C. Londoners shared video of hail pounding pavements and gardens as the weather moved through central areas.
10 Downing Street to the Lords
Starmer and Lady Victoria were on the journey from 10 Downing Street to the House of Lords when the hail hit. The timing put the weather directly into the middle of the State Opening of Parliament route, with the capital already under a cold spell that stood out even against the Met Office comparison with two far-northern cities.
The comparison was notable because London sat below both Helsinki and Oslo on the same day. Helsinki’s 17C high and Oslo’s 15C high left the British capital at around 12C, a level that the forecast said would hold through much of Wednesday before edging up later in the week.
Met Office Forecast
London was expected to reach 14C on Thursday and 15C on Friday, before highs of 24C from Thursday, May 21, to Saturday, May 23. Temperatures were also expected to stay above 20C into the following week, setting up a fast swing after the cold, hail-filled start to Wednesday.
Many London schools enter May half-term in the following week, so the change to warmer weather arrives just as the city moves into that break. For readers in the capital, the immediate shift is simple: a cold, wet Wednesday gives way to a much warmer stretch within days.
