Patchy weather set to disrupt travel throughout bank holiday weekend

Heavy rains and winds of up to 60mph are set to cause disruption across parts of the UK in the coming days, forecasters have said.

Weather is set to be patchy and unsettled throughout much of the country over the bank holiday weekend, with some areas seeing bursts of sunshine while others can expect to be drenched in rain.

A yellow weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for rain in Scotland between 9am on Wednesday to 3pm on Thursday, ahead of gale-force winds and up to 150mm of rainfall within 24 hours in some areas- more than typically falls all month.

However, the rest of the country will see much calmer weather, with unsettled conditions for some on Thursday as bands of rain weaken and gradually move south-east over the course of the week.

Areas such as Glasgow, Ayrshire and other places in western Scotland could see between 75-100mm of rain between Wednesday and Thursday, with even heavier downpours predicted in higher ground.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: ‘A band of rain will move in from the west on Wednesday morning and will become slow moving with heavy bursts of rain at times, especially over high ground in Scotland. This rain will persist into Thursday for many within the warning area, with 75-100mm likely quite widely, with higher accumulations possible over the higher ground.  

‘Gusty winds will accompany the rain, with 50-60mph possible near Irish Sea coasts and the west of Scotland. Coupled with spring tides, this could lead to some dangerous coastal conditions before winds gradually ease later on Thursday.’

Douglas Cairns from Transport Scotland said: ‘The forecast weather conditions are likely to impact driving in the areas covered by the yellow warning, so our advice to motorists is to plan your journey, leave extra time if needed and drive to the conditions.

‘There may also be disruption on other modes of transport, so please check with your operator before setting off if you’re planning to travel by rail, ferry or air.’

Bands of rain will weaken as they gradually move south and east through Thursday, though it will remain an unsettled day for many, with cloud and scattered showers at times.

Weekend weather is likely to start on an unsettled note, with overnight rains from predicted throughout the country on Thursday and Friday which may be slow to clear in parts of the southeast, particularly London.

But there are also likely to be plenty of dry and sunny spells scattered throughout England and Wales, especially later in the weekend.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Rudman said: ‘While Friday may start wet for some, it is likely to become much more settled through the weekend, though some showers will continue to feed into northwestern areas at times, and there is a chance of the band of rain lingering over the far southeast of England through Saturday.  

‘By the time we get to Sunday, much of England and Wales is likely to be in a drier period of weather, with temperatures around or slightly below average for the time of year with some sunny spells likely, though there’s a chance of some showers glancing western areas at times, particularly the northwest. 

‘This more settled period is likely to persist into Monday for much of England and Wales, with only intermittent showers drifting in from the northwest at times.’

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