Forecasters have recognised the weather will finally improve soon – but only for some Brits as The Met Office says we can expect a north-south split for some time
Temperatures are likely to double in some regions of the UK in the space of several days, forecasters say.
The mercury plunged to -2C in Santon Downham, Suffolk, on Monday, the Met Office said. Rain battered the country too, with particularly heavy downpours across North York Moors.
But when this band of low pressure eventually subsides, many areas will experience sunshine and temperatures of at least double likely today. The warmest period next week will be on Thursday May 2 – but the Met Office says those in the north will experience drier weather than those in the south.
The Met Office writes on its website: “Temperatures will likely trend near or slightly above average, though some cooler interludes remain possible. Into early May, something of a north-south split looks possible, with relatively drier conditions further to the north and the greatest chance of rain further to the south.” Netweather forecasters reinforce this outlook on its blog and state Thursday May 2 as likely the warmest day of next week, with highs of 16C.
The mercury will plunge to 8C in Leeds today and to a similar level across South Yorkshire. The temperature in and around Newcastle will struggle to exceed 6C today – but will reach at least 12C next Thursday, forecasters with Inmeteo at Ventusky say.
While wind has been heavy this week – 28mph is forecast in Norwich today – it’ll ease next week and so temperatures will rise in the north. Gusts will be mild in the south but will move in from the west, rather than the south, so some areas, like south Wales and Cornwall and Devon, will struggle at 11C next week, below average for the start of May.
There are greater chances of showers across the south on Thursday May 2 too, especially across south Wales, Somerset, Wiltshire and parts of the Midlands by the evening. This rainfall is likely to be a theme in the middle of May, again particularly across southern counties, the Met Office’s website says.
Concerning Wednesday May 8 to Wednesday May 22, the website reads: “In this period, the chances of unsettled weather are slightly less than usual in the north and about the same as usual further south. Therefore, some spells of wetter weather are likely for all, but perhaps especially southern areas with the driest conditions probably further north.”
