UK weather forecast: Britain faces coldest start on record for early May bank holiday

Big freeze to take hold – two weeks after warmest Easter ever

Parts of the UK could have the coldest ever start to the early May bank holiday as chilly weather hits the country.

Hail and rain struck central London and the east coast on Saturday, two weeks after the warmest Easter on record.

Parts of Kent had thunder and sunshine at the same time, while much of the rest of the UK enjoyed dry, fine weather.

The Met Office said temperatures in the West had reached 13C, while winds in eastern parts kept conditions at 7C or 8C.

Riders and spectators at the Tour de Yorkshire were warned that strong northerly winds could bring a significant wind chill along the coastal route.

Forecasters warned of widespread frost, saying temperatures could plummet as low as minus 3C or minus 4C in Northern Ireland, Wales, south-west England and parts of Scotland.

But the Met Office said lighter winds and isolated showers were predicted for much of the UK on Sunday, leaving a generally dry, chilly and sunny day.

Temperatures in the south will reach 13C or 14C, but will only hit 8C or 9C in the north, with some flurries of snow in Scotland.

Freezing temperatures will again bring widespread frost as bank holiday Monday arrives.

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said there was a chance overnight temperatures could be the lowest ever for the early May bank holiday Monday.

The lowest recorded temperatures for Monday’s bank holiday are -3.5C in Wales, -4.3C in Northern Ireland and -5.9C in the rest of the UK.

“Overnight we could see, particularly in Northern Ireland and Wales, record lows going into this bank holiday,” he said.

“They might overtake the coldest ever start to a May Day bank holiday.”

Forecasters predict Monday will be cloudy as a weak front carrying a band of showers makes its way south.

But there will also be dry weather and plenty of sunny spells.

Bank holiday weekend travellers are facing disruption due to planned engineering work shutting down parts of the railway.

No trains will run to or from London Euston between Saturday and Monday because of preparations for HS2, and there will be no trains between Bristol Parkway and Newport and between Shenfield and Southend Victoria.

Virgin Trains, which operates services on the west coast mainline, was urging passengers to “avoid travelling on these dates unless you absolutely have to”.

More road traffic is expected with 13 million leisure trips to be taken by car between Friday and Sunday, according to RAC research.

Additional reporting by PA