UK Weather: Bank Holiday Weekend Set To Be A Washout
Bank Holiday Weekend Set To Be A Washout
PA
People trying to enjoy the bank holiday weekend will have to contend with some dismal weather conditions, forecasters have confirmed.
While around 1.8 million Britons will head off abroad for the break, conditions for those staying at home will not be too pleasant.
Gareth Harvey, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It won't be the best of Bank Holiday weekends.
There's an Atlantic depression heading in towards the UK, bringing spells of quite heavy rain today, down towards the South West initially, and spreading north east during the day, and there could be some thunderstorms mixed in with that.
"That depression is going to be hanging around on Saturday, with some quite heavy downpours, sometimes with thunderstorms, pretty much everywhere.
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Rain will sweep the country this weekend
"By Sunday the depression will have moved away to the North Sea, and there will be a westerly or north-westerly flow across the country, but that will also bring some lengthy spells of rain, especially across England, though there will be some sunny interludes.
"Monday may start off sunny in some areas, particularly in the east, which will hold on to it for a good part of the day.
"However, the next deep Atlantic low will be coming in, throwing another belt of rain eastwards. It will hit the South West by late morning, and push across much of the rest of the UK during the day.
"Winds will pick up from the west, and there may be some gale-force winds in the far North West late in the day, which is quite unusual for this time of year."
Temperatures are not expected to reach much higher than 20C (68F) over the weekend - a stark contrast with last weekend when the thermometer touched 32C (90F).
Travel organisation Abta said Spain and its islands were the most popular overseas destinations for Britons this weekend.
Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin were among the most popular city breaks, while domestic tour operators reported the south and south west coasts of England were favourite spots for those taking breaks in the UK.
An estimated 400,000 people will fly from Heathrow over the weekend, with 250,000 leaving from Gatwick, 150,000 from Manchester, 124,000 from Stansted, 68,500 from Luton and 62,500 from Birmingham.
Channel Tunnel high-speed train company Eurostar will carry 60,000 departing passengers this weekend and ferry services and Eurotunnel trains will be busy.
The Highways Agency said about 194 miles (312km) of roadworks will be completed before the weekend and 59 miles (95km) of further works will be suspended over the holiday period.
But a number of key routes will still have roadworks, including a section of the M1 near Luton in Bedfordshire.
On the railways there will be some engineering work but 94% of services will run as normal, with replacement bus services reduced by 58.5% compared with last August bank holiday.
Network Rail and the Association of Train Operating Companies said about 6.1 million passengers were expected to travel on main line trains between Saturday and Monday.
Among the events this weekend are the music festivals at Leeds and at Reading in Berkshire.
UK Weather: Rain, Flooding, Doom and Gloom. The British Summer In Pictures
UK Weather
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A man shelters from the wind and the rain on June 11, 2012 in Southsea, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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Rain falls onto a icecream vendor's booth on June 11, 2012 in Southsea, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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A jogger braves the wind and the rain on June 11, 2012 in Southsea, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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Visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage site Stonehenge brave the wind and the rain on June 11, 2012 near Amesbury, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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Visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage site Stonehenge brave the wind and the rain on June 11, 2012 near Amesbury, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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A woman wades through water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire. (credit:Steve Parsons/PA Wire)
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Standing water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire. (credit:Steve Parsons/PA Wire)
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Cars splash through remaining flood water on the A63 outside Leeds after flash flooding in the area last night. (credit:Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire)
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Workers survey the water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire. (credit:Steve Parsons/PA Wire)
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Standing water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire. (credit:Steve Parsons/PA Wire)
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Cars splash through remaining flood water on the A63 outside Leeds after flash flooding in the area last night. (credit:Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire)
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A general view of water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire. (credit:Steve Parsons/PA Wire)
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Paul Burrow mops the floor in his water damaged kitchen at his home in Swillington, Leeds, after floods tore through the area over the weekend. (credit:Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire)
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Gill West mops up after her home was flooded, in Tal-y-bont, Mid Wales, after floods tore through the area over the weekend. (credit:Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
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A pedestrian jumps over a puddle left by persistent rain in central London on June 11, 2012. Persistent rainfall over much of southern England and the midlands has lead to the risk of flooding with the Met office issuing a severe weather warning. (Photo credit: CARL COURT/AFP/GettyImages) (credit:Getty)
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Taxis drive past a puddle left by persistent rain in central London on June 11, 2012. (Photo credit: CARL COURT/AFP/GettyImages) (credit:Getty)
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A picture shows the British Houses of Parliament seen through heavy fog and low cloud in London on June 11, 2012. Heavy rain fell over much of the south and central England on June 11, disrupting sporting events like the third Test at Edgbasten and the Aegon Championships and shrouding the captial in a pall of mist and fog. (Photo credit: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/GettyImages) (credit:Getty)