Britons are set to experience a hit-and-miss mix of sunshine and showers as unsettled weather rolls in over the bank holiday weekend, forecasters have said.
For those with outdoor plans or hoping to fire up the barbecue, “there is a mixture of rain and sunshine for many”, according to the Met Office.
Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: “On Saturday there will be some warm spells of sunshine but an increasing risk of heavy downpours moving up from the south, particularly through the afternoon and into the evening.”
Temperatures are also set to tumble from recent days where a high of 25.4C was recorded on Friday at both Heathrow Airport and Kew Gardens in London, meaning areas of southern England were hotter than Tenerife, where the projected high was 23C.
Warm sunshine continues for some ☀️
— Met Office (@metoffice) May 2, 2026
For others, a more unsettled afternoon with rain and showers, possibly turning thundery later in the south ⛈️
Heavy rain in parts of the south could cause tricky driving conditions and surface water flooding, so take care if travelling 🚗 pic.twitter.com/iZKlARCKU6
The best of Saturday’s sunshine will see high temperatures of around 22C-23C across London before they come down to the averages for the time of year of around 15C to 16C in the south and 10C-15C in the north.
The sunnier zone is a swathe of area around central London, the Midlands, northern England and East Anglia, and it is set to cloud over elsewhere.
Mr Dewhurst said : “Temperatures are starting to come down but in the sunnier moments it is still above average for the time of year.
“We are seeing a change to more unsettled weather at the same time.”
It is set to cloud over elsewhere, bringing rain that is “heavy and potentially thundery” through central and southern England as well as south Wales.
He added that “rumbles of thunder and some heavy downpours could lead to some tricky travel conditions” later in the day.
Of Sunday, Mr Dewhurst said: “With the nature of showers, depending on where they bubble up, we know that some areas could see the rain, but down the road it could be dry and with sunshine.”
South Wales, parts of Devon and Cornwall and stretching across to London and south-east England are the most likely zones where showers could develop on Sunday.
Met Office deputy chief forecaster Mark Sidaway said: “Bank holiday Monday will remain changeable, with lingering cloud and scattered showers across southern and central areas, but these should be lighter and fewer than over the weekend.”
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