Thunderstorms and heavy downpours are due to hit the UK this weekend as more than two million holidaymakers head overseas and thousands take to the roads.
The majority of schools in England and Wales are breaking up for the summer, which will spark a surge in holidays between Friday and Monday.
Widespread rain is set to hit London and much of the UK early on Saturday evening and continue throughout Sunday, bringing the risk of thunderstorms.
Traffic jams are likely on major roads, and the Met Office has warned of disruption amid the downpours.
Meanwhile airports will see hundreds of thousands of passengers, while the Port of Dover is warning it could take up to two and a half hours to pass through border checks, and train strikes are due to take place on Saturday.
Saturday is expected to be the busiest day of the weekend, according to travel association Abta.
Heathrow and Gatwick airports are expected to have hundreds of thousands of passengers pass through this weekend, Stansted will have 199,000 and Luton 116,000.
Want to know how the weather is looking near you this weekend?
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 20, 2023
Here's Aidan with the forecast 👇 pic.twitter.com/XPrLmbWDnO
About 200,000 people will depart from Manchester Airport, 71,000 from Bristol, and although the Scottish schools are well into their summer holidays, many will still be leaving from Scottish airports this weekend, with more than 100,000 from Glasgow alone.
Transport analysis company Inrix said traffic hotspots will include the M5 south from near Bristol (junction 15) to Bridgwater (junction 23), which is a popular route for holidaymakers travelling to the South West.
Another is the M25 clockwise between junction 10 for the A3 to Kingston and junction 6 for the A22 to East Grinstead.
And rail passengers will be disrupted by strikes on Saturday as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), including station staff and train managers, strike again in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
The Port of Dover is expecting one of its busiest weekends of the year, with more than 6,000 cars expected to arrive on Friday, followed by a further 7,500 on Saturday.
The Port said border control processing will generally take around one and a half hours on peak days, but this could rise to two and a half hours between 6am and 1pm during the next two weekends, due to the number of passengers.
🚢🌊The #PortofDover has been working hard on the plans for the busy summer season. Here are some of the things we’re doing at the Port to help you get away on your holiday. Read our peak time travel advice here: https://t.co/JXkAA7aNlF pic.twitter.com/MIj6ZhhSsi
— Port of Dover (@Port_of_Dover) July 12, 2023
Passengers travelling between Friday and Sunday are being asked to arrive up to three hours before sailings and to carry plenty of food and drinks with them.
Enhanced post-Brexit passport checks by French border officials Police Aux Frontieres have significantly increased processing times at the Kent port.
Additional sailings out of Dover will be added by shipping company DFDS to its schedule this weekend.
Karen Baurdoux, customer performance manager for DFDS, said: “Our goal is to get our passengers on their way so they can enjoy their summer getaway, so if you are delayed on your journey to the port or at border control, rest assured that we will get you on the next available sailing when you then arrive at check-in.
“With extra sailings in place over the busy weekend we have ensured that there is plenty of space available for our customers so they can be on their way as quickly and as comfortably as possible.
“As it is one of the busiest weekends of the year, we would like to echo Port of Dover’s message that passengers should not arrive more than three hours before their scheduled sailing time.
“This is to help reduce the congestion on the roads approaching and through Dover, which will in turn make your journey to the port and through border control faster and smoother.
“Given the extreme heat on the continent and the high temperatures in the UK, we would also strongly advise all passengers to bring plenty of water and refreshments for their journey to the port.”
While rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue in the UK next week, much of Europe will continue to see temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s.
Spain remains the top destination for UK families, in particular the Costa del Sol, the Balearic and Canary Islands, but Abta members are also reporting strong demand for Bulgaria, Portugal, Turkey, Morocco and Greece, the travel association added.
Mark Tanzer, Abta chief executive, said: “We’re encouraging people to have a fun and safe holiday, by taking sensible precautions if you’re heading to an area with exceptionally high temperatures and taking particular care when in the water and on balconies.”
