The bank holiday weekend looks likely to be a wet one with heavy rain set to drench the UK. Weather maps from WXCharts.com shows a deluge of rain set to batter the country, approaching from the west in the early hours of Saturday 24 May.
After an April and early May which promised that summer was on the way, it looks likely that the UK weather will return to type with a relentless onslaught of rain across the entire country. A Met Office long-range forecast for the time said: “Into the bank holiday weekend and following week, a change in weather type is expected. More unsettled conditions are likely to develop, with weather systems moving in from the Atlantic.
“This will bring spells of rain to many areas, perhaps heavy at times, with a risk of strong winds in places.
“Drier and brighter intervals are likely between systems. Temperatures will probably be near normal or slightly above.”
This is corroborated by Netweather who said: “There are signs of a change on the way by the Bank Holiday Weekend to cooler and more unsettled conditions, as high pressure finally retreats to allow areas of low pressure start to move in from the west off the Atlantic.
“This change to unsettled conditions could last through to the end of the month.”
Throughout Saturday, rain is likely to be a constant presence across all four countries of the United Kingdom, stretching from the north of Scotland to the English South coast.
The rain is likely to be heaviest in central areas, with around 5mm per hour falling in some places throughout the day.
Netweather added: “The change could be coming about because the long-lasting effects of the unusually early final stratospheric warming that occurred in early March are finally beginning to wane.
“Since the reversal of winds from westerly to easterly in the polar stratosphere, the polar vortex has never recovered.”
The rain will continue into Sunday, particularly in central and southern parts of the UK although Scotland should remain largely dry.
Into Monday, rain will continue in Birmingham, Wales, London and across the South Coast.