4 May 2012

Bank holiday weekend weather. It’s all relative.

Following the wettest April on record in the UK, you’re probably thinking that the weather has to settle down sooner or later. Well, relatively, the weather during the next few weeks may not be as unsettled as the last few. However, I emphasise the word ‘relatively’ strongly.

The cause of the wet weather during April was the position of the jet stream. It persistently sat to the south of the UK which put us in the path of low pressure after low pressure, bringing frequent spells of wind and rain.

However, looking ahead for the next few weeks, the position of the jet stream is more variable. Whilst for some of the time it’ll remain to the south of us, bringing further wind and rain, at times, it’ll move to the north of the UK allowing pressure to build and quieter weather to grace our shores.

So that’s the general trend for the next few weeks, but what about the forecast for this bank holiday weekend?

Scotland and Northern Ireland

The main theme for Saturday and Sunday is chilly. Whilst there’ll be some scattered showers (wintry across the hills and mountains) most places will be dry with sunny spells. What will be quite unusual for this time of year is how cold it’ll be at night. Temperatures are expected to widely dip to freezing, with rural areas as low as -5C.

England and Wales

There’s some uncertainty with the detail of what’s going to happen across southern parts of England this weekend. A lingering weather front could keep large amounts of cloud with outbreaks of mainly light rain on Saturday, only gradually easing away during Sunday,

Elsewhere though, it’ll be bright with sunny spells and just a few scattered showers. If you’re a gardener or farmer, take note that the nights will be cold with frost. Temperatures will fall close to freezing in towns and cities, with rural areas as low as -2C.

Bank holiday Monday

With many of you probably travelling home during Monday after a weekend away, it’s worth highlighting that low pressure will sweep in through the day.

This means that all places will see wind and rain developing with a potential for standing water and surface spray on the roads. There’ll also be some hill fog across the higher routes, which will give poor visibility.

The rest of next week looks quite mixed, with rainy days interspersed with some occasional sunshine and still cool for this time of year.

Don’t forget you can stay up to date with the latest forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website and you can chat to me about the weather on Twitter – @liamdutton

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