CROWDS ENJOY HOTTEST DAY
THE temperatures were sizzling – but most were able to keep their cool and chill out on bank holiday Monday.
Apart from an early hiccup when a lorry broke down in the Brynglas tunnels on the main M4 gateway into Wales at Newport, there were few reported problems on the roads.
Tailbacks were reported on the route onto the Lesneven Bridge over the River Tywi in Carmarthen, but traffic volumes appeared to be less than on Sunday, when queues were reported leading to some of Gower’s best-known beaches.
Temperatures of 220C appeared to be the norm in Wales.
The Met Office reported the highest temperatures in Kinlochewe, in Scotland (25.10C) and Northholt, near London (24.80C).
It was officially the warmest day of the year so far, with the previous hottest day back on March 30, when we saw 24.50C at Kew Gardens, London.
The usual hotspots of Barry and
Mumbles attracted the lion’s share of sunseekers.
Tenby was particularly busy, with central car parks filling up rapidly and late arrivals having to use the out-of-town Salterns car park and park-and-ride service.
The National Botanic Garden of Wales, near Carmarthen, and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre in Penclacwydd, Llanelli, reported a steady flow of visitors.
The weather was so warm at the Botanic Garden that the first common lizards of the year were spotted basking in the sunshine.
There were crowds galore at attractions such as Folly Farm, in Pembrokeshire.
The sloths, which were recently featured on BBC’s The One Show, were among the farm’s crowd-pleasers.
Early reports from the Pembrokeshire coast also featured news of car parks filling up quickly.
People packed into Abereiddy in Pembrokeshire to visit the beach and the ever-popular Blue Lagoon.
Both Traffic Wales and Transport for Wales advised travellers to spend extra time planning their journeys to avoid problems on road and rail.
The Met Office has predicted another warm day today.
Its official forecast for Wales said: “Another warm and dry day with plenty of sunshine. Warmer than Monday for many, although feeling slightly cooler along southern coasts in any breezy periods. Maximum temperature 25°C.
“Outlook for Wednesday to Friday: Fine and dry to start Wednesday, but heavy and possibly thundery showers arrive through the day. The odd shower still possible Thursday and Friday, but mostly bright and somewhat cooler.”
But Becky Mitchell, a meteorologist from the Met Office, warned there could be some thunderstorms on the way.
“There will potentially be some thunderstorms by midweek, the first bout of showers will come into parts of the South West and there will be a few thunderstorms in that,” she said.
May has been the fourth wettest on record for the UK, and the wettest ever for Wales.
Elsewhere, the Whitsun half-term break is traditionally the time when schoolchildren enjoy the Urdd National Eisteddfod.
Due to coronavirus restrictions, the annual event has morphed into the Eisteddfod T digital festival.
The number of competitors has doubled since last year from 6,000 to 12,000, and the organisers launched an app to enable users to visit the virtual Urdd Eisteddfod ‘maes’, or field.
Eisteddfod T is being broadcast from a purpose-built studio at the Urdd Residential Centre in Llangrannog, and although the festival’s competitions have been pre-recorded, a variety of live elements on location, including the main ceremonies, will also feature.
■ You can follow Eisteddfod T at - htt ps : / / www. urdd. c ymru/ en/ eisteddfod/eisteddfod-t/