BRITAIN endured a pre-weekend washout as temperatures only hit highs of 16C today – as the South East is forecast to be wet the entire weekend.
Conditions will be sunny for most of England and Wales tomorrow with highs of 21C in the South East, but there will be pockets of rain in northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Sunday is looking even warmer for the South East with temperatures of 23C expected amid sunny spells, although much of the rest of the UK will see rainfall – especially in the Midlands and North of England.
The met office has also forecast blood orange rain to fall in parts of the country as downpours, lightning, strong winds and hail continue.
According to the Met Office, “blood rain” occurs when relatively high concentrations of red coloured dust or particles get mixed with rain, giving it a red appearance as it falls.
Read our weather blog for the latest news and updates…
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Is the weather getting warmer by Sunday?
Scotland and England might be in for a warmer weekend as Sunday expected to reach highs of 19C.
Warm weather might be on the cards for Sunday as rain and storms look like they could finally clear up.
London could see highs of 19C, and 17C in the north of England.
The coastlines of the UK may be slightly cooler and foggy as temperatures warm for the rest of the British Isles.
It is likely to be rainy for Ireland on Sunday.
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In pictures: Lovely Lyme Regis as sun bakes Brits
Thursday’s weather was deliciously warm, and beachgoers made the most of it.
The UK had a break from the battering storms on Thursday (19 May) and the sun came out to play.
Brits sunned themselves on the beach, and some topped up tans while others burnt to a crisp (ouch!).
Dorset was balmy and warm, and some took a dip in the sea to cool off.
A sunbather on the beach enjoying the scorching hot sunshine at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in DorsetCredit: ©Graham Hunt -
BLOOD rain could still hit this weekend
A massive swirl of Saharan dust was whipped up with bulging thunderclouds.
The red dust mixed with rain could still hit this weekend. The UK might still see the orange and red rain drops batter their homes.
Residue and red dust is left coating cars and belongings, though it does not pose any health risks.
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In pictures: Brits brave the TORRENTIAL rain
Pictures of this week’s “summer” after rain and wind battered the UK.
Two chaps were snapped taking a daring stroll out in the heavy rain on Friday morning (20 May).
They donned a very fitting Union Jack umbrella as they traipsed down towards Oxford Circus.
Commuters and shoppers didn’t let the rain stop them enjoying their lunch break and taking in the towering London skyline.
Wet weather returns to London. Shoppers & tourists alike brave heavy showers of rain at Londonâs Oxford CircusCredit: i-Images -
Heavy rain in northern Ireland this Sunday
Make the most of Saturday’s balmy weather before MORE rain hits on Sunday.
Belfast and the rest of northern Ireland could see torrential rain on Sunday, once again following this weeks complete wash out weather.
The rain looks as though it will move in from the west and sweep across Ireland on Sunday midday, gradually hitting harder.
The storm will then travel easterly towards Scotland, but by the time it reaches Scotland it should have calmed down.
Heavy rain over Ireland on Sunday -
England in for a dry evening tonight after blustery day
This week was one of the stormiest the UK has seen for a while, hopefully the weather is due to clear up for the weekend!
The UK has seen blustery, wet and even wild weather this week. Thunder, lightening and strong winds, not exactly the warm sunny weather Brit’s had in mind for May!
The Met Office have forecast that for the most of the UK, the rain should clear up for the evening.
Scotland will still see a few isolated showers here and there.
It is predicted Saturday will be a bit warmer for most, still cloudy but with sunny spells.
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Thursday’s weather extremes
The BBC Weather account has published a list of Thursday’s weather extremes.
It was a sweltering day in London with highs of 22.5C recorded at St. James’ Park.
Meanwhile, South Newington in Oxfordshire got 21.8mm of rainfall – but Aberdeen in Scotland has a glorious 13.5 hours of sunshine.
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Northern Scotland getting the best of the weather today
While many areas in England and Wales are getting a soaking today, the north of Scotland is experiencing the highest temperatures.
The Met Office tweeted: “Northern Scotland has seen the highest temperatures across the UK so far today
“Further south it’s feeling much cooler than yesterday.”
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‘Showery and unsettled conditions’ for next five days
The Met Office predicted “showery and unsettled” conditions for the next five days.
The country should expect a breezy and cooler Friday with risk of heavier rain in the West.
Temperatures will stay between 11C in the North, rising to the mid-teens elsewhere and reaching 16C in London this afternoon.
But tonight will feel even breezier and chillier, while West Scotland in particular will face persistent showers.
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Unsettled weather to come says Met Office
A Met Office spokesperson said: “Weather’s going to be a bit more unsettled over the next week.
“This weekend you’ll see some rain today, some of the heavy rain moving eastwards across England and the North of the country having showers later.
“The overall picture is for showers with some dry spells, but most people are going to see a bit of rain this weekend.
“Most of that rain will be in the West tomorrow and in the Northwest in the evening.
“It will probably stay relatively fine in the South and East of the country and then on Sunday another front will be bringing showers across from the West.
“Some of these might be thundery perhaps in the Southeast corner and maybe up in the Northwest, with most places feeling cooler particularly going into next week.
“Generally things are cooling off and we’ll be seeing a series of weather fronts being brought in from the Atlantic by quite a strong jet stream over the next week.”
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Early June forecast
Rather changeable at the start of the period, with spells of rain or showers for many areas, some of these heavy and thundery.
A change in weather is likely as we move from May into June, with a shift towards more settled, drier conditions.
Showers still remain a possibility in some places, but a drier end to the period is likely for most.
We can expect temperatures to continue to be warm or very warm, but likely to move back to nearer normal through June.
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May 6/4 to be WETTEST on record
Ladbrokes has slashed its odds on this May going down as the wettest on record.
Having been a 2/1 shot earlier this week, the bookies have now cut odds to just 6/4 on this being the wettest May EVER.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “It’s looking increasingly likely this rain isn’t going anywhere, and we could be set for a record-breaking wet May as a result.”
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UK weather has been hotter than Santorini this week
The cooler climate comes after days of scorching sunshine, including the hottest day of the year so far.
Tuesday topped the temperature charts, with the mercury hitting a balmy 27.5C in Heathrow during the afternoon.
It meant the weather was better here than in holiday hotspot Santorini, where it reached only 26C.
But the heat was followed by grey skies and overnight downpours for many.
Heading into this weekend, the UK can expect some rainy weather – from oubreaks of drizzle to full blown thunder and lightning.
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Saturday likely to be drier than today
Saturday will most likely be drier and brighter than today, feeling slightly warmer with highs of 18C in some areas.
However, thick clouds will move into western areas bringing rain to the Northwest later.
From Sunday onwards, Brits will experience unsettled bouts of both showers and sunny spells.
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Unstable weather could lead to temps reaching 30C
This week’s unstable weather is driven by a plume of humid air from Africa.
It comes as leading bookmaker Coral cut the odds to 4-5 (from 6-4) on temperatures reaching as high as 30C during the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
The firm makes it 5-4 for this month to be a record hot May, while it is 1-2 for this summer to be the hottest ever in the UK.
“Our betting suggests we could be set for glorious weather during the Platinum Jubilee weekend, as we make it odds-on for temperatures to reach as high as 30C,” said Coral’s John Hill.
“Looking further ahead, the odds continue to fall on this summer being the hottest ever in the UK,” added Hill.
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What is the blood rain phenomenon?
Blood rain is a term for red-hued rain, which is often the result strong winds and storms whipping dust and sand up into the air, which remain airborne and carried across for several miles.
The Met Office explained that blood rain occurs when “relatively high concentrations of red coloured dust or particles get mixed into rain”, thus giving the rain a red appearance as it falls.
Blood rain is not a very common phenomenon, as there needs to be fairly high concentrations of red dust in the rain for it to actually appear red in colour.
The Met Office website continued: “The dust we see is usually yellow or brown and mixed in very low concentrations – so the rain would look just the same as usual. The only difference would be that you might find a thin film of dust on your car or windows after the water has evaporated.”
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Forecast for today
There will be large areas of cloud around during the morning with patchy outbreaks of rain and drizzle across England and Wales.
Rain across Northern Ireland and the Western Isles will push eastwards during the afternoon bringing rain and showers to western Britain which may be heavy and thundery.
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Unstable weather could lead to temps reaching 30C
This week’s unstable weather is driven by a plume of humid air from Africa.
It comes as leading bookmaker Coral cut the odds to 4-5 (from 6-4) on temperatures reaching as high as 30C during the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
The firm makes it 5-4 for this month to be a record hot May, while it is 1-2 for this summer to be the hottest ever in the UK.
“Our betting suggests we could be set for glorious weather during the Platinum Jubilee weekend, as we make it odds-on for temperatures to reach as high as 30C,” said Coral’s John Hill.
“Looking further ahead, the odds continue to fall on this summer being the hottest ever in the UK,” added Hill.
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Exact date blood rain will fall in the UK
A cloud of Saharan dust is thought to be making its way across the Atlantic ocean towards the Caribbean and is expected to sweep across western Europe and South East England on Friday May 20 as well as Saturday May 21.
This could bring drizzle that might be tinted red in some parts of the UK.
Richard Miles from the Met Office explained: “There are some dust concentrations in the atmosphere above the UK at present which might well be washed out in the rain tonight, but it’s likely to be relatively small amounts on the whole.”
Weather is expected to be dry for the rest of today, ahead of the blood rain forecast tomorrow.
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Forecast for today
There will be large areas of cloud around during the morning with patchy outbreaks of rain and drizzle across England and Wales.
Rain across Northern Ireland and the Western Isles will push eastwards during the afternoon bringing rain and showers to western Britain which may be heavy and thundery.
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Early June forecast
Rather changeable at the start of the period, with spells of rain or showers for many areas, some of these heavy and thundery.
A change in weather is likely as we move from May into June, with a shift towards more settled, drier conditions.
Showers still remain a possibility in some places, but a drier end to the period is likely for most.
We can expect temperatures to continue to be warm or very warm, but likely to move back to nearer normal through June.
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Odds on having hottest ever summer
Leading bookmaker Coral has cut the odds to 4-5 (from 2-1) on the UK having its hottest ever summer this year.
The firm go 2-1 for this month to be a record hot May, while it is 5-2 for 30C or higher being recorded this month in the UK.
“We now make it odds-on for the UK to have a record hot summer this year. All the latest forecasts point to a sizzling summer,” said Coral’s John Hill.
“The outlook for the rest of May is very bright. Our betting is pointing to temperatures reaching close to 30C,” added Hill.
Coral’s UK weather odds:
- 4-5 Record hot summer
- 2-1 Record hot May
- 5-2 30C or higher being recorded in May
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Celebrate World Bee Day this Friday
To mark World Bee Day, Lidl is giving away free packs of mixed annual flower seeds in stores nationwide – for one day only on Friday 20th May
As the warmer weather sets in this week, Lidl shoppers can also get their hands on a range of picture-perfect plants that boost biodiversity.
Shoppers should simply ask at the checkout for a pack, before getting planting a garden that’s guaranteed make the neighbours jealous and help local Bee communities.
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Explained: What is blood rain?
Blood rain is a term for red-hued rain, which is often the result strong winds and storms whipping dust and sand up into the air, which remain airborne and carried across for several miles.
The Met Office explained that blood rain occurs when “relatively high concentrations of red coloured dust or particles get mixed into rain”, thus giving the rain a red appearance as it falls.
Blood rain is not a very common phenomenon, as there needs to be fairly high concentrations of red dust in the rain for it to actually appear red in colour.
The Met Office website continued: “The dust we see is usually yellow or brown and mixed in very low concentrations – so the rain would look just the same as usual. The only difference would be that you might find a thin film of dust on your car or windows after the water has evaporated.”
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Tips on how to keep your bedroom cool
With hot weather unavoidable, and not everyone being able to get their hands on a fan, bedrooms are no longer the restful haven we head to in the evenings as we struggle to sleep in the heat.
With this in mind, Molly Freshwater, Co-founder of luxury bed linen retailer Secret Linen Store has provided her top tips on how to keep your bedroom cool while you’re trying to sleep:
- Ice and fan – If you are lucky enough to have a fan at your disposal, and you don’t mind the white noise or are able to keep it on all night, simply place a large bowl filled with ice cubes in front of your fan. The idea is that as the ice melts, the fan disperses a cool breeze, making your fan work that little bit harder to keep you cool
- Don’t sleep naked – Sleeping naked can be the worst thing to keep you cool. Naturally as we sleep, we sweat, more so in warmer months, and this sweat collects on the body and stays there if sleeping with nothing on. Instead, opt for lightweight, cotton pyjamas
- Choose the right bed linen – In summer, you may want to swap out your thicker bed linen for a fabric that is lighter. Linen bedding is a great alternative as it helps to keep your bed ventilated, and therefore keep you cooler compared to thicker fabrics
- Hang a damp sheet in your window – When the cooler evening wind catches the damp sheets in the window, it will help to disperse a cool breeze across the room, making the most of any breeze and leave it feeling less humid
- Put your socks in the freezer – This may sound strange to the vast majority, but by cooling your feet, it helps to cool the body. During the day, place clean socks in the fridge or freezer. Sometime before you head to bed, put on the cool socks and this should have a cooling effect on the body – but remove them just before you actually hop into bed