Weather forecasters at InMeteo have anticipated continued spells of warmth will juxtapose with periods of monster thunderstorms, including some in the next few days
Fierce thunderstorms will rock large swathes of the UK in the coming days – despite glorious sunny spells and temperatures of 23C.
Last week’s spectacular sizzle – when temperatures exceeded 25C in Herstmonceux, East Sussex, and parts of London – will threaten to return in the next week, forecasters say, but not before rogue storms sweep in from the south.
The Mirror told how the first batch of the latest tempests will arrive this afternoon and linger throughout the night, but new forecasts show they’ll return on Saturday afternoon for many regions, notably Southwest England. New weather maps show the severest storms will be across Devon at around 7pm on Saturday, and parts of mid Wales, including Powys, later in the evening.
Parts of Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, south Wales and Herefordshire will also be affected by the thunderstorms, which forecasters at Netweather say will occur because inflowing air from the north will encounters a more westerly flow along the Bristol Channel.
Writing on the service’s blog, meteorologist Jo Farrow said: “For southern Wales and southern England [on Saturday], there could be some heavy and thundery showers. The focus of these will be along convergence zones, where inflowing air from the north encounters a more westerly flow along the Bristol Channel or the English Channel.
“It creates lift as the air has to go somewhere. And that is up. Further north in Britain, there could be isolated heavy showers over high ground but there will be a lot of fine, bright or sunny weather around too.”
Showers will remain throughout Saturday night, again heaviest across Devon, and though temperatures will drop on Sunday, they’ll rise by Wednesday, it is expected. Ms Farrow continued: “Saturday night sees low cloud edging in off the North Sea like a grey blanket across much of England from the east right down past the M25 and M4.
“Don’t be fooled by any lengthy sunny spells that a May dip in the sea is in order. The sea surface temperatures are low at this time of year, it will be bracing.”
Forecasters at InMeteo have released weather maps, which indicate the rise in temperature by Wednesday. It should peak at 23C as far north as Selby, North Yorkshire, and as far south as Dorking, Surrey. Eastern areas will be warmest on Wednesday, which contrasts to the picture last week when western parts, such as Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, enjoyed the best of the sunshine.
But, after a foggy morning today for many, rain moves in from the east and leaves the day unsettled. Southern counties, including Surrey and Berkshire, will experience the heaviest of the downpours this evening.