May Bank Holiday weather forecast: Brits to soak up 21C warmth – making it warmer than Athens
BRITS are set to soak up 20C over the May Bank Holiday, making the UK hotter than Athens, according to The Met Office.
The latest forecasts suggest that the mercury in southern areas will rise higher than that in the Greek capital on Bank Holiday Monday.
A new graphic, released by The Met on Twitter, shows the maximum temperatures for the next seven days.
The South is expected to warm to the high teens by Friday, before hitting 21C on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday.
In contrast, Athens is only expected to hit 19C on Monday and Tuesday.
Forecasters said the warmer climes were a result of mild air being drawn up from the Atlantic.
In the North, meanwhile, cooler conditions are predicted, with highs ranging from 12C tomorrow to a peak of 15C on Tuesday.
The warmer weather will likely offer sun-starved Brits some relief from the recent cold snap.
Deputy Chief Meteorologist Chris Almond said: “By Friday temperatures will have increased so that we will see values around 18-21C across parts of the UK.
“The coming bank holiday weekend itself will be a mixture of brighter conditions and showers. These showers will tend to be heaviest and most frequent in the west on Saturday.
“On Sunday most locations can expect to see at least some showers, whereas on the bank holiday Monday the focus for showers is more likely to be the east, with drier conditions elsewhere. Temperatures will be reasonable and above average.”
However, Met forecasters have warned of possible snow for northern Scotland and the North East in the coming days.
Thunderstorms are also expected later next week as bands of heavy rain sweep across the country.
Mist and fog are also expected before milder weather move in at the start of May.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: “It’s rather cold out there at the moment thanks to these Northerly winds.
“There are a few showers continuing to affect parts of northern Scotland, and some of those showers have a bit of a wintry mix to them.
“Cloud across the South will help to actually keep those temperatures up a little bit, but further North across parts of Scotland with largely clear skies, those temperatures falling low enough for a widespread frost.
“Some rural parts in the Highlands could see temperatures similar to those we saw last night, down to -6C or -7C.”
It comes after The Met revealed the forecast for the special coronation bank holiday.
It’s good news for those planning street parties to celebrate King Charles‘ ascent to the throne and “dry and mild weather” is predicted over the long weekend.
Met Office press officer Grahame Madge said that they can expect “fairly settled conditions”.
“The remaining period, which is really the period I think that we’re focusing on, brings fairly settled conditions, pushing in from the southwest with plenty of dry and mild weather across the UK,” he said.
“Temperatures (will be) generally near or slightly above average, with maximums expected in the high teens in the south of England.”