UK weather – Thunderstorms to batter Britain as temperatures plunge to 13C in Bank Holiday weekend washout
THUNDERSTORMS could leave the Bank Holiday weekend a washout as temperatures plunge to as low as 13C in the aftermath of Storm Francis. Heavy showers along with thunder and lightning expected to kick-off the long weekend for parts of Britain as the UK faces a rather drizzly end to August. Temperatures will hit lows of […]
THUNDERSTORMS could leave the Bank Holiday weekend a washout as temperatures plunge to as low as 13C in the aftermath of Storm Francis.
Heavy showers along with thunder and lightning expected to kick-off the long weekend for parts of Britain as the UK faces a rather drizzly end to August.
Temperatures will hit lows of 13C for parts of Scotland, with the mercury not expected to reach above 20C over the weekend for the rest of the UK.
Slow moving thunderstorms are forecast to move across the southern parts of England before eventually passing over ahead of Saturday.
Showers are then expected for parts of East Anglia and the South East as they bring a rather dank and miserable start to the Bank Holiday.
However, a high pressure weather system will then make its way over to bring some respite for the rest of the long weekend.
Forecasters however predict temperatures will remain below average for August.
Sunday will see some warmer conditions with some sunshine, before the rain then threatens to return on Monday.
With temperatures lows of 16C on Sunday, and 13C on Monday, it is a far cry from the glorious start to the summer that Britain enjoyed in July.
Record breaking temperatures saw the mercury climb to up to 37C, but it looks like the end of the summer will instead be a drizzly and slightly chilly.
On a YouTube forecast, Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “[On Friday] there will be some heavy showers in the South, or even some slow moving thunderstorms as low pressure only slowly clears away.
“That low pressure is clearing, but there still be further showers on Saturday for East Anglia and the South East.”
He added high pressure will then be “here to stay” for the rest of the weekend, but there will be a “chilly start” to Bank Holiday Monday.
The forecaster explained temperatures will then feel “pleasant enough” during the day, before later in the day rain starts to return.
Britain is recovering after it was battered by Storm Francis, with the 700-mile surge bringing 80mph winds, heavy downpours and some of the worst summer weather for 50 years.
A number of places in England and Wales recorded their highest-ever winds in August amid the rough weather.
The Met Office said winds of 74mph have been recorded at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, Wales – the highest in August there since 1994.
Aberdaron in the Welsh county of Gwynedd has recorded gusts of 71mph, the highest since 1996.
Gusts of 68mph were recorded at Pembrey Sands, 52mph was recorded at Shobdon in Herefordshire, and 49mph was recorded at Pershore in Worcestershire.
The low pressure system bringing the rain back to spoil Bank Holiday Monday will be driven by the remains of Hurricane Laura in the US.
The tropical storm is due to smash into Texas and Louisiana, with 1.5million people ordered to evacuate on the Gulf Coast.
The National Hurricane Center has warned the weather system could be potentially catastrophic as it strengthens to a Category 4 before smashing into the US.
US President Donald Trump described Laura as a “very dangerous and rapidly intensifying hurricane” as he urged people to follow guidance from local officials.
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Hurricane Laura already has wind speeds of up to 125mph, and these are expected to increase to 145mph as the storm barrels towards the Gulf Coast.
In a chilling tweet, the NHC said: “Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes.
“This surge could penetrate up to 30 miles inland from the immediate coastline.”
The storm is forecast to pass through Texas and Lousiana, before moving across land and returning to the Atlantic over the East Coast – interfering with the jet stream and impacting weather in Britain.