Will the weather win a gold medal this week?

After last week’s burst of summer warmth and sunshine, the weather turned cooler and more unsettled through the weekend as the jet stream returned southwards. Whilst most of us had some sunshine, at times, it was punctuated by heavy, thundery showers.

Thankfully, the showers stayed away for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday evening. However, it was a close call. A brief shower brought a burst of rain around 30 minutes before it started, but thereafter it stayed dry.

So with week one of the Olympics underway, what will the weather provide for the schedule of sporting events that are taking place during the next five days?

In a nutshell, it’s safe to say that the weather will be typically British and remain pretty changeable. Some days will be better than others, so it won’t be raining all the time. What is certain is that there is no heat wave looming.

Most of the events in the Olympic schedule this week are taking place indoors, but there are some that are at the mercy of the weather – notably archery, road cycling, rowing, sailing and tennis.

Wind

The wind can have a marked impact on outdoor sports with archery, rowing and sailing particularly sensitive. Towards the middle of this week it’s going to turn quite breezy and gusty – something that competitors will no doubt have to take into account.

Archers main concern will be cross winds which can blow arrows off target. They will have the added task of factoring in the strength and direction of the wind when taking aim.

A gusty crosswind is least desirable because its strength can continue to vary after the archer has fired the arrow making the outcome challenging to predict.

For rowers, if crosswinds are too strong, boats can be blown into the next rowing lane, making it difficult for the race to proceed. Cyclists experience similar effects on the road which can make races more taxing.

Whilst sailors may be glad of a decent strength of wind, there is a trade off. The stronger the wind, the rougher the waters are likely to be, so it can be a case of everything in moderation.

The wind can also determine the finishing times of some sports. If there is a headwind then finishing times are likely to be slower, whereas if there’s a tailwind then finishing times are likely to be quicker – potentially resulting in records being broken.

Rain

With rain expected at times this week, there is no doubt that the tennis will have some interruptions to play.

The second half of the week will be particularly frustrating as the rain will come in the form of showers which will mean a covers on covers off scenario.

On Wednesday the road cycling time trials are taking place and at the moment, the weather is looking quite blustery with a gusty wind and heavy showers. So not only will the cyclists have to contend with a headwind, but also wet roads.

Visibility

Whilst poor visibility will generally not be an issue this week, there will be some humid air arriving across England and Wales later on Monday and into Tuesday.

For most places, this will just mean cloud and rain, but for the English Channel it could also mean that visibility will sometimes be poor which could affect the sailing. The Met Office hints at occasionally poor visibility during the next 24 hours in their latest inshore waters forecast.

Don’t forget you can stay up to date with the latest forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website and you can ask me any weather related questions you have on Twitter – @liamdutton