Strong winds and thunderstorms kick off the bank holiday weekend

Strong winds and thunderstorms are set to kick off the bank holiday weekend across the UK, according to lead weather presenter Matt Taylor. Following a spell of hot weather and drought, the summer is now poised for significant downpours and gales. Areas of heavy rain and showers are expected to move across parts of the UK each day of the weekend, which is a bank holiday for many. This could create soggy conditions at numerous festivals taking place in the coming days, and strong winds may cause problems for travellers and holidaymakers in southern regions. Will it rain everywhere this weekend? Not necessarily. Many areas will see some drier and sunnier intervals over the three days, with parts of north‑west and west Scotland possibly experiencing little rain. During sunny spells the lingering August sunshine will still make it feel reasonably warm. However, on Saturday the forecast shows several zones of heavy showers sweeping across England and Wales, especially in the south. Some of these could be torrential and thundery, particularly in the southern half of England and Wales. For northern parts of England the showers may merge into longer spells of rainfall during the afternoon. Given the downpours already recorded this week, parts of the Midlands and northern England are more susceptible to flash flooding. A large area of Scotland and Northern Ireland is expected to stay dry. Sunday may start dry and bright for many, possibly with mist and fog patches in central and northern areas of the UK. It is northern regions this time where early showers could appear, but through the day different bands of heavy and thundery showers are expected to spread across the country from the west. For some locations in East Anglia and south‑east England conditions may remain dry until later in the day. South‑eastern parts of the UK might fare better on bank holiday Monday. Scattered showers in the west during the morning will gradually become more widespread through the day, but these should not be as intense as those on the previous two days. If bouts of rain were not enough, parts of southern England and Wales will also be buffeted by strong winds at times. This could make travel and camping challenging. The strongest winds of the period are expected on Saturday across southern counties of England and Wales as well as the Channel Islands, with gusts of 40 to 50 mph possible on exposed hills and coasts. Monday will be blustery more widely across the UK, but southern areas will again see the strongest gusts, mostly in the 30‑40 mph range. Throughout the weekend temperatures across the UK will be around 15 to 22 °C, a few degrees below the average for this time of year, contributing to a cooler feel at times. With several major festivals scheduled for the weekend – including Reading and Leeds, Creamfields and the Notting Hill Carnival – attendees are advised to keep an eye on the forecast. Any weather warnings issued can be found on the BBC Weather app or the BBC website.