Balmy weather to end as rain and wind on the way, forecasters warn
SUNSEEKERS HAVE revelled in the last of Yorkshire’s balmy spring weather, amid a rather more gloomy outlook for the weekend ahead which may brighten in time for Bank Holiday Monday.
Many parts of southern England were hit by heavy rain and gusty winds yesterday, narrowly escaping lighting as a thunderstorm struck just off the coast of East Anglia.
It came after the mercury reached 28.2C at Santon Downham in Suffolk on Wednesday, recorded as the hottest day of the year so far.
The warmer conditions this week have tested the nation’s resolve in maintaining social distancing in parks and open spaces. On Wednesday, police in North Devon said roads to the area’s beaches were “gridlocked” despite pleas to the public from councils who advise against travelling to the south west.
Temperatures are expected to cool today, according to the Met Office, reaching around 19C in Yorkshire, with a rainy start brightening in the afternoon.
The weekend will be cooler and cloudier, although there is hope for highs of 21C on Monday as the weather front eases.
“A deep area of low pressure moves in from the Atlantic and skirts the north-west of the UK, likely to bring strong winds across the country today,” said meteorologist Greg Dewhurt.
“A band of heavy rain will push eastwards through the morning, which will then clear to sunshine and showers.”
Winds are set to be strongest across the north-west of the UK, where gusts of 50 to 60 miles per hour are likely, and temperatures will probably drop to normal for this time of year, at around 16C to 18C.
A deep area of low pressure is likely to bring strong winds today.
Greg Dewhurt, Met Office meteorologist.