Fresh conditions will give way to a touch of tropics
After a week that has given a whole new meaning to “going green”, with the grass in scorched gardens and parks finally getting enough rain to start working its way back towards a more normal colour, there has been a fresher feel generally to the start of the weekend. But it is about to be swallowed up across most of England and Wales by cloudier, more humid conditions.
Today’s weather will be dominated by a band of rain, heavy at times, that will pass west to east over Northern Ireland, Wales, northern England and southern and central Scotland. There is some tropical moisture wrapped up in the low pressure that is bringing the rain, so temperatures should remain around the seasonal average – 70F (21C) in Cardiff, 72F (22C) in Belfast and Hull and 73F (23C) in Birmingham.
To the north and south of this damp, disappointing block, it will be drier. Northern Scotland should have decent sunshine, while southern England, the south east and East Anglia will be warm and dry, but with a good deal of murky cloud and humidity.
London and Norwich may touch 77F (25C). And as the working week gets under way that warmth will dominate much of England and Wales, while Northern Ireland and Scotland remain in the grip of low pressure.
As the week continues, this northsouth divide will remain until Wednesday or Thursday when the wetter, fresher conditions will spread over the whole country. The memory of our heatwave has been harder to shrug off on the grouse moors. The harsh winter, followed by our recent dry spell, has left moors short of birds, and has led to many of this season’s grouse shoots being cancelled.