Race to shake off the rain before jubilee weekend
IN ANY other year, this would have been our spring bank holiday weekend. So thank goodness it isn’t, because there is going to be plenty of rain and disappointing temperatures.
Whether the shift to next weekend, for the four-day Platinum Jubilee celebrations, will benefit us weatherwise, however, is in the balance.
Today the cool northerly wind that settled in yesterday, especially in the east, is still very much in evidence. As the dominant high pressure that has kept us warm and sunny of late drifts off northwards and westwards, it opens the door for more cloud, thick enough in places for showers.
Only sheltered western parts will escape the full effect of that cooling breeze, so if you are in South Wales and Cornwall where the mercury will rise to 62F (17C), count your blessings (even if it is down on seasonal averages). Over in the east, Norfolk and Suffolk are at 54F (12C). Glasgow is better off at 59F (15C), while London manages a measly 55F (13C).
Tomorrow, the wind lightens a little but the temperatures stay much the same, with cloud and rain a risk in many parts. By Tuesday, the wind has stilled and, with low pressure in charge, we are stuck with a gloomy, slightly damp, cool early summer day.
By that time, though, our eyes will be eagerly looking ahead to Thursday and the start of jubilee celebrations. It is unlikely to begin with sunshine, but as the weekend approaches the computer models are producing two options. In the first the cloud and rain gives way by Saturday to bluer skies. In the second it remains too cool and too wet for comfort. The Diamond Jubilee was spoilt by rain. Let’s hope it isn’t a repeat performance.