Last the summer whine of Baking Britain rejoices as wind and rain sweep in and the temperature drops by 10C ( how long before we’re grumbling about missing the sun?)
WE BRITS may be noted for moaning about our lousy weather, but millions were cheering the arrival of storms this weekend.
After endless weeks of stifling heat, the downpours on Friday brought much-needed relief. Even the arrival of gusts of up to 60mph today and temperatures cooling by 10C were likely to be welcomed by many.
With dramatic thunder and lightning signalling a temporary end to the scorching weather, holidaymakers faced flight cancellations and airport delays yesterday.
The Met Office issued a ‘ yellow’ weather warning for the South West and Wales, with winds of up to 60mph forecast today along with just over 3ins (76mm) of rain in just 12 hours. The strong winds will mainly hit coastal areas, with Land’s End in Cornwall hit by 60mph gusts.
Other coastal spots will see winds of between 35mph to 45mph. Sun-seekers may have to pack away their loungers as temperatures continue to cool, with a maximum of only 22C (72F) in London today.
Fans of Sir Tom Jones, 78, were disappointed when his concert at York Racecourse was cancelled on Friday evening because of lightning storms that brought hailstones the size of golf balls crashing down on the town.
Ross Hewitt, 43, a digital marketing managing director from York, was forced to take cover. ‘It was jaw-dropping,’ he said. ‘I was walking to the car when it started and I had one hailstone ping off the top of my head. It stung like hell. I have never seen anything like it in the UK before.
‘The size of them ranged from garden peas up to golf balls.’
Holidaymakers faced long queues and disruption at airports following the storms. One woman said she spent many hours waiting at a ‘ chaotic’ Stansted Airport in Essex without seeing getting appropriate support.
She wrote on Twitter: ‘We have now spent over 17 hours total in the airport and we are still waiting to see a customer service adviser.
‘In a poorly organised and chaotic queue with four advisers for over 1,000 stranded passengers! No food, water or support offered.’
As many as 30 flights at Stansted were cancelled on Friday evening
due to thunderstorms and air traffic control restrictions.
Ryanair apologised to customers for the flights it cancelled and offered refunds. Stansted said it was operating normally yesterday and that queues were ‘ predominately at ticket desks with passengers who decided not to go home but stay and try to re-book after their flights were cancelled the previous evening’.
Heathrow saw 28 flights cancelled yesterday, with 11 at Gatwick. Meanwhile, drivers faced delays of more than two-and-a-half hours at Eurotunnel, with those travelling to France on ferries from Dover suffering similar waits.
At the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club’s International Day at Windsor, Zara Tindall wrapped up warm in a shawl. But the cooler weather wasn’t enough to tempt her to take part. She said: ‘I love playing polo, I’ve always played a bit. I haven’t played recently, I’ll leave that to them.’
At the Met Office, forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: ‘We have had high pressure for a long time and that’s kept it settled and warm.
‘Now we’ve got low pressure in charge and it’s brought fresher air in from the Atlantic. So it’s a real big change. It’s going to turn increasingly unsettled, with stronger winds and outbreaks of rain.
‘Pretty much most parts of England and Wales will experience some heavy rain and some strong winds and this will continue to push north-eastwards as we go through Sunday. We could see 60 to 80mm of rain falling by the end of the day. At Land’s End, we could see gusts of 55 to 60mph. The Highlands could see similar values of 55mph to 60mph for the early hours but it will ease as the day goes on.’
The drastic change in weather came after the UK experienced the highest t emperature recorded since 2015 on Thursday, with Faversham, Kent, basking in 35.3C heat.
Although temperatures will be lower this week, with highs of 23C tomorrow and 25C on Tuesday, the heat will return at the end of the week as the mercury rises towards 30C. The National Farmers’ Union has called an emergency drought summit this week to discuss the shortage of grass for farm animals and the devastation to many crops.
The sunshine has inspired Mediterranean drinking habits, with our thirst for rosé wine booming this year. Sales of rosé at Majestic were up 30 per cent in the warm spell in April, then spiked to 108 per cent on the May Day Bank Holiday.
At John Lewis, shoppers have been snapping up plastic palm trees, with sales up 200 per cent.