The late May bank holiday weekend is set to be dampened by grey clouds, wet weather, and heavy thunderstorms, with yellow warnings in place from midday on Sunday. The Met Office has issued warnings for swathes of England and north Wales, predicting up to 40mm of rain.
Saturday is expected to remain largely dry and bright, with temperatures reaching 22C in London and south-east England. However, conditions will deteriorate on Saturday night, starting in Cornwall and East Anglia, bringing persistent rain across the country. Sunday will see scattered, heavy and thundery downpours, with the Met Office warning of up to 40mm of rain.
The yellow thunderstorm warning will last until Sunday evening, covering large parts of England and northern Wales. There may be frequent hail and lightning strikes, with possible flooding, power cuts, and travel disruption. Those attending the Birmingham Pride festival on Sunday should expect patchy rain, with heavy showers, thunder, and gusty winds increasing throughout the day.
Monday will feel cooler and breezier, with scattered showers in north-west England and south-west Scotland. Drier conditions are possible in parts of Wales, Northern Ireland, and south-west England in the afternoon, but heavy and thundery downpours are expected across eastern parts of the UK. Further wet weather is predicted over the half-term holiday.
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: 'Overall, it’s a pretty mixed picture. Saturday’s probably the best of the bunch. There will still be some sunshine around on Sunday and Monday, but we’ll certainly be dodging downpours.' He advised watching out for thunderstorms, especially across parts of northern and central England and north-east Wales.
