Britain faces a blustery and wet weekend as winds of up to 50mph and heavy, persistent rain sweep across the country — a sharp contrast to the record-breaking May heatwave that sent temperatures soaring to 35.1C just weeks ago.
The Met Office has warned of an increasingly unsettled picture from tonight, with gusts picking up through the evening and into Saturday morning. The southwest will bear the brunt of the initial system, with strengthening winds, heavy showers and the possibility of thunder in places before conditions move northeastwards across the UK. Coastal areas in western England — including Cornwall, Devon and along the Bristol Channel — are expected to be particularly exposed as areas of low pressure track across the country.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Chris Bulmer said the incoming system was likely to weaken as it moved across the UK but cautioned that some sharp conditions were still possible. “Into the weekend, a more organised area of rain and stronger winds will move across the UK, although this system is likely to weaken as it does so,” he said. “While some heavier rain and gusty conditions are possible at times, the overall picture remains one of changeable weather, with further spells of rain or showers interspersed with some drier and brighter periods.”
Temperatures are expected to fall slightly below average for this time of year, though the wet weather may provide some relief after what was a punishing early summer. The mercury hit 35.1C during the bank holiday period — a record-breaking temperature for May — leaving parts of the country parched before this weekend’s system moved in.
Conditions are expected to ease early next week, with winds dropping off even as rain continues, and the occasional window of sunshine. Looking further ahead, the Met Office’s long-range forecast offers a more optimistic outlook for the second half of June, with drier and warmer temperatures expected to return — though not without the risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms along the way. The forecast warns that towards the end of the month, low pressure could again assert itself, particularly across the south, where “heavy showers and thunderstorms become more probable” and temperatures could once again turn hot in places.
