Met Office confirms thunderstorms and rain for UK before bank holiday heatwave

The UK is set to be hotter than Athens on Friday, but not before another bout of British rain lashes the country this week.

Rain and possible thunderstorms will strike much of the country before temperatures hit highs of 26C in London.

Tuesday will bring early rain, which will then be replaced by ‘a day of sunshine and frequent showers’, the Met Office

Those showers will be heavy at times, with temperatures around the mid-teens and hail and thunder possible.

Showers will continue into Tuesday evening before gradually easing overnight.

Wednesday will be largely cloudy, but rain will ease up, with temperatures climbing towards 20C.

Craig Snell, forecaster at the Met Office, said: ‘Temperatures at the start of the week are still a little subdued for the time of the year; as we head towards the weekend, we are expecting to see a change.’

The UK is set to enjoy temperatures in the low-to-mid-20s in the run-up to the bank holiday on Monday.

The Met Office predicts there will be highs of 23C in Manchester, 26C in London, and 20C in Cardiff.

Highs of 23C are expected on Saturday, matched with temperatures as warm as 24C on Sunday and Monday.

Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said: ‘From Thursday onwards, temperatures could rise above average, approaching 20C for some across southern areas.

‘We could be closer to the mid-20s, possibly, for some areas, in the South East, by the bank holiday weekend.’

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