The UK is gearing up for its first heatwave of the summer, with temperatures expected to soar above 30°C during the upcoming three-day May Bank Holiday weekend. After a slow start to May, many parts of the country will finally enjoy warm sunshine and rising mercury levels.
However, the heat won’t be felt everywhere. A significant number of counties will miss out on this initial burst of summer heat according to weather predictions from WX Charts, which utilize Met Desk data along with ECMWF and GFS modeling.
Counties set to escape the soaring temperatures include Devon, Cornwall, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire. Other areas likely to avoid the heat are Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cumbria, the Isle of Wight, Tyne & Wear, Durham, and Northumberland.
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The Met Office’s early forecast for Thursday, May 21, describes a mix of weather conditions: “Cloudy with outbreaks of rain across northwestern areas, drier elsewhere with sunny spells developing in the south and slowly spreading north. Feeling warmer, especially in the south in the sunshine.”
For the Bank Holiday weekend, from Friday to Sunday (May 22–24), the outlook is for “very warm weather with plenty of sunshine and light winds. However, some heavy, thundery showers may occur on Saturday, particularly with some rain in the northwest.”
On Wednesday, May 20, expect mostly cloudy skies early on, with brighter spells developing mainly in southern regions by afternoon. There may be isolated rain showers where clouds thicken, especially over western hills and northern Scotland, with temperatures feeling a bit warmer.
As night falls, showers should ease, but cloudy skies will persist. Heavy rain is anticipated across some northwestern locations later in the night, with mild conditions prevailing under the cloud cover.