Downpour brings roads chaos but sun to return
TORRENTIAL rain caused a number of accidents on Welsh roads yesterday but forecasters are saying temperatures could rise as high as 35°C next week.
Police said they had been called to “numerous” crashes on the M4, including one at Bridgend, one at Pont Abraham and one near Llandarcy.
There were also reports of slow traffic on the motorway because of surface water between Port Talbot and Swansea, and traffic was queuing on the A40 in Carmarthen.
The A470 was blocked in both directions due to a crash at Mallwyd, Gwynedd.
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for rain across a large part of south Wales yesterday morning, with up to 40mm of rain predicted in the west.
However, the summery weather is expected to return next week, with temperatures as high as 35°C in Wales.
The dry and hot weather should return by the start of the week and Tuesday could be very hot as warm air spreads from southern Europe.
Channel 4 weatherman Liam Dutton said: “Still uncertainty with detail, but probably a one-day burst (for most) of very hot summer weather likely next week.
“Next Tuesday could see 30-35°C for England and Wales, with 20-27°C for Scotland and Northern Ireland.”
The mercury will start to surge from Sunday, with the heat hanging around for several days and temperatures climbing steeply.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Harris said: “As we head into next week we are expecting some parts of the country to see some very warm weather, which could reach heatwave thresholds. However, in the cloudier, windier and wetter parts of the north west temperatures will be nearer normal despite high humidity.
“There has been some speculation that the warm weather is due to a ‘Continental heat dome’. This is not a meteorological term that is recognised professionally and the origin of the term is unclear.
“As can often happen at this time of year, a high-pressure system will develop over the near-Continent, bringing warm Continental air into the south and east of the UK.”
It’s good news for people heading to the Royal Welsh Show next week.
But the advice is to enjoy it while it lasts because more rain is set to arrive by the end of next week, with more unsettled conditions forecast and much cooler weather possible by the end of the month.
Today’s forecast is scattered showers at first, easing for a time, with sunny periods developing. The sunshine will trigger further showers during the afternoon, these locally heavy and possibly thundery. Maximum temperature 23°C.
Tomorrow is expected to be dry with sunny periods and some overnight rain in the north.