The Met Office has warned Britons to prepare for a sharp drop in temperatures, with an autumnal feel expected to linger into next week and bring particularly chilly nights. Forecasters say many people are likely to wake to frost in their gardens over the next few mornings, a stark contrast to last week's warm weather.
Temperatures exceeded 23C on Friday, with parts of the Midlands and East of England among the hottest spots. The Met Office recorded an official high of 23.3C, but northerly and easterly winds are now set to bring colder conditions, with temperatures dropping by as much as 8C in some parts of the nation.
Frost and single-figure temperatures forecast
The Met Office warned on X: "Brace yourself for another autumnal feel tonight, with temperatures dipping into the low single figures in the countryside under clear skies. Sheltered glens of Scotland may even see a touch of grass frost by dawn."
Weather maps shared on X show parts of Cumbria and south Wales dropping to around 2C overnight, while northern Scotland could see temperatures of around 5C. Daytime temperatures on Tuesday are closer to 15C for parts of the north of the UK, and 20C for areas across the south. Patches of mist and fog could also develop across rural areas.
Unsettled conditions to continue
The unsettled picture looks set to persist across the Bank Holiday weekend. Nick Finnis, meteorologist with Netweather, wrote on its blog: "The unsettled conditions look likely to linger through the Bank Holiday Weekend too, with current model forecasts - with areas of low pressure close to the UK bringing spells of rain or showers at times, but also some sunny spells and drier interludes, temperatures likely to be around the average for the time of year in the southwesterly or westerly flow. Certainly no sign of a heatwave before the end of the month."
Finnis added: "The low-pressure system responsible for bringing heavy showers and thunderstorms over the last few days has now moved on over Scandinavia. However, the cool northerly flow in its wake will still bring some scattered showers today across England and Wales, though generally lighter than yesterday, perhaps the odd heavy and thundery one in places. Scotland drier and sunnier."
Rain brings relief amid drought
The heaviest of the rain is anticipated across Wales, parts of the Midlands and the Northwest of England throughout Tuesday. This band of low pressure will be slow to move but will eventually lead to rain across the East of England on Wednesday morning.
With large swathes of the country still in drought, the rain will be welcome relief for many. One farmer said he has decided not to plant any crops on a third of his land - some 200 acres - this autumn because it would mean making a loss on it. Chris Wray, from Lincolnshire, said: "There a lot of people thinking like that now. Farmers are a real, 'head down, let's do what we've always done, and everything will come right'. That is their stalwart logic."
