May bank holiday weather set to be coldest on record

THE May Day bank holiday could be among the coldest on record as Britain is set to be battered by Arctic winds.

Cold showers, frost and strong winds this weekend come weeks after a record warm Easter. Snow actually fell in Aberdeen yesterday.

Easter Monday was the warmest for all four UK nations with temperatures nearing 70F (21C) but this bank holiday could see them drop to just 28.4F (-2C) in Scotland this evening, with rain and hail falling along England’s east coast.

Last May Day holiday the mercury hit 83.6F (28.7C) at Northolt, west London, making it the warmest weekend since records began.

Tomorrow, however, should be less chilly, with dry spells after a frosty evening. The South could see reasonable weather on Monday, with temperatures nudging 55.4F (13C). Richard Miles, of the Met Office, said: “Today it will be colder, a lot colder, with showers in the north and the east of England. Today will be the worst but Sunday and Monday will be a lot more settled. Sheltered, hilly areas in the North and Scotland could see cold and wintry weather in the evening. The West should escape mostly and in Wales it could actually be quite nice – the same in parts of Northern Ireland.” The lowest temperature ever recorded on the early May bank holiday was 20.5F (-6.4C) in Scotland in 1981 and 1988.

Bank holiday engineering works will disrupt trains from London Euston from today and there are no trains between Bristol Parkway and Newport, or between Shenfield and Southend.

As a result, the RAC warned, it could be the busiest May Day bank holiday on the roads since 2016.