Look on the bright side: it’s worse elsewhere
AFTER the miserable week the eastern half of the country has just endured, with daytime temperatures dipping as low as 52F (11C) on the beaches of Lincolnshire, the only comfort for those whose school half-term getaway has felt more like a trip to the Arctic is that there are others worse off.
In France, exceptionally heavy rainfall – 14in in hours in one area – has caused chaos. The Louvre in Paris was closed on Friday, and the Seine was threatening to burst its banks over the weekend. Enough to wash even that enigmatic smile off the Mona Lisa’s face.
Back on this side of the English Channel, today should be slightly warmer than of late in the east, though those cooling breezes blowing in off the North Sea will hang around for a little while longer. Over in the west, its sunny good fortune of the past seven days looks set to continue, with temperatures at 68F (20C) along the Welsh coast and in Cornwall and Devon.
As we go into next week, the prevailing weather systems over the UK will finally start to shift. The high pressure to the north that has sucked in all that miserable weather along the east coast will gradually give way to a low approaching from the south west. In its wake expect warmer, more humid air from way down south. By Thursday, the South East could be experiencing highs of 82F (28C), though the heat might also trigger the odd thunderstorm.
And here’s one more crumb of comfort for those returning to work tomorrow without a stay-cation tan. In some ways, you got off lightly. The first week of June in 1975 brought snow in the Midlands and South East.