A BBQ weekend at last!
The weekend is approaching and the jet stream is heading northwards – something that will bring many of us a lovely weekend with sunshine and warmth.
Before I started writing this blog, I struggled to remember the last time an area of high pressure had any form of control on our weather here in the UK.
Of course, there was the warm spell in March followed by a hot week during the second half of May. Other than that, it’s more or less been rain and below average temperatures all the way.
In the Channel 4 newsroom there’s been a sea of happy faces as the word spreads that something resembling summer is finally about to arrive after months of reporting heavy rain and flooding.
I have no doubt that most of you will be thinking about a picnic in the park or BBQ in the garden, so I thought I’d take a closer look at the weather prospects for this weekend.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Whilst Saturday will start fine and dry for most places with spells of sunshine, cloud amounts will tend to increase by the end of the day. The breeze will also freshen with outbreaks of light and patchy rain into the far west during the evening. Temperatures are likely to reach 14-19C.
Sunday will be generally cloudy with the best chance of some occasional sunshine across the eastern half of Northern Ireland and east of the mountains in Scotland. Towards the west, there’ll be outbreaks of rain developing which could be heavy across Highland.
The wind will also be brisk and gusty for all areas, with gusts of 25-35mph possible, with stronger gusts around the coasts and over the hills. Temperatures will reach 16-21C, although with the cloud and wind, it may not necessarily feel that warm.
England and Wales
For both days of the weekend, the weather across England and Wales is looking fine. Whilst there is a risk of an odd shower on Saturday, you’ll be unlucky to catch one, with most places staying dry.
Temperatures on Saturday will reach 16-21C, rising to 17-23C on Sunday. Sunday will be breezy, but given the lack of cloud and abundance of sunshine, it should still feel warm.
UV and grass pollen
With the return to sunshine and warmth, places that see the sunshine this weekend will see moderate to high UV levels. Don’t forget, even if there’s a breeze that makes it feel refreshing, you can still get burnt in the strong July sunshine.
The grass pollen levels are also set to rise – especially by Sunday, reaching moderate to high across much of the UK.
Next week
At the moment, the divide in the weather looks set to continue. Scotland and Northern Ireland will be prone to breezy conditions with rain at times. England and Wales will see a continuation of the warmth and sunshine, with temperature potentially reaching 24-27C by midweek.
Don’t forget you can get the latest 5 day local forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website. You can also send me your weather pictures on Twitter – @liamdutton