The area of high-pressure which has brought fine conditions across the UK over the last few days is forecast to persist through the bank holiday weekend and into next week.
Met Office Chief Forecaster, Paul Gundersen, said: “The jet stream sitting to the north of the UK is holding unsettled weather systems at bay and allowing high pressure to dominate bringing fine weather to the vast majority of the UK.
“The current position of the high-pressure means we will see a westerly air flow over the UK, a cooler direction than if air was being brought up from the south, and areas such as Spain or Africa. Therefore, we are not likely to reach heatwave conditions, but temperatures will still be warm reaching the low 20’s for many, particularly in the South West and southern Wales.”
Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster, Steven Keates, said: “Next week is half term week for much of the country and there is as strong signal the high-pressure will continue to dominate our weather. It’s exact position over the UK will dictate the temperature, wind direction and weather patterns, however, indications are that the dry, bright weather is likely to continue for most with little in the way of rain throughout next week.”
With the fine weather many of us may be planning to be out and about over the long weekend. Travel experts are warning of a busy time on the roads.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “We fully expect families to make the most of the largely fine weather over the coming days which is why we’re forecasting the busiest late May bank holiday since before the pandemic. As usual, it’s Friday afternoon and evening that could see some of the worst jams. Into next week and half term for many parts of the UK, day trips will also be a big feature with popular routes to the coasts and countryside becoming busy. Getting away early in the morning or delaying trips until the evening are the best way to avoid the inevitable delays.
“No-one wants a breakdown to get in the way of them and time with family and friends, yet so many of the jobs our patrols will go out to are completely avoidable if drivers complete a few checks before they get out onto the open road. Ensuring oil and coolant levels are where they should be is a must, as is checking tyres are free of damage and are properly inflated.”
If you are heading to the coast, you can now get the Met Office beach forecast on you Met Office app. Listen to some water safety advice and fascinating facts from experts at HM Coastguard and the RNLI in our latest twitter spaces below. For even more information, visit the RNLI website, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s website and respectthewater.com
We are approaching the time of year when UV levels can be at their highest, you can check the UV forecast on the Met Office app.
You can check the latest forecast on our website, by following us on Twitter and Facebook, as well as on our mobile app which is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from the Google Play store. Keep track of current weather warnings on the weather warning page.
Updated at 11:44 (UTC+1) on Fri 26 May 2023
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