UK weather: Thunderstorms and flooding could dampen jubilee celebrations

Wet weather in the latter half of the weekend also threatens to dampen Sunday’s street parties

Wet weather could disrupt jubilee celebrations across the country, forecasters have warned (AP)

Forecasters have issued severe weather warnings of thunderstorms for Saturday as turbulent weather threatens a jubilee weekend washout.

The yellow weather warning from the Met Office, hailing the arrival of thunderstorms bringing heavy rain and lightning to some places on Saturday, is valid until 6pm, and covers parts of northwest England and North Wales.

It comes after a severe warning of thunderstorms over the southern counties was in place on Saturday morning, as a plume of warm air pushes north up from the continent threatens to dampen the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations at Buckingham Palace.

Fierce storms over the capital could disrupt performances from the likes of Diana Ross, Sir Paul McCartney and George Ezra.

The Platinum Party at the Palace - the star-studded event taking place on Saturday - will be broadcast live on the BBC from the palace.

The concert, which will include performances from Queen and Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys and Nile Rogers, will be hosted by Kirsty Young and Roman Kemp. It will include three stages, 3D-projections across the face of the palace and an in-person audience of 10,000.

A further national severe weather warning has been issued for Sunday. The yellow thunderstorm warning covers much of England and Wales and runs from midnight on Sunday through to 6pm on Sunday afternoon.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Andy Page, said: “Many places within the warning areas are unlikely to see a thunderstorm at all, but those places that do see one could well see impacts from heavy rain and frequent lightning strikes.”

“On Saturday few places could see up to 20 – 30 mm of rain within an hour, with a small chance of 50 mm in 2 to 3 hours, most likely near the south coast.

“The risk of thunderstorms eases as we go through Saturday morning. However, as this band of warm air continues to push further north across the UK there is a risk of more thunderstorms and heavy downpours on Sunday.

“We will be monitoring this risk and may need to issue another warning when the potential for impacts becomes clearer. Please keep an eye on the forecast for your area regularly for any updates.”

The Met Office said there was a small chance of flooding in areas hit by downpours.

Thunderstorms aside, forecasters say it will be mainly fine and dry on Saturday with sunny spells, becoming rather warm, although eastern coasts will remain cool and rather cloudy at times.

Temperatures are likely to be cooler throughout the rest of the weekend, reaching 20Cs at best tomorrow and down another degree or so on Sunday as street parties, a fixture of royal festivities, get into full swing.

According to Met Office officials, the warmest weather is likely to be in the northwest of Scotland.

It will remain unsettled and showery for the start of next week, with northwest Scotland continuing to see the best of the weather.

As the Jubilee weekend continues the roads remain busy, RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: “The fact the bank holidays coincide with the end of half-term in many places has the potential to put some extra pressure on the road network, so planning a journey carefully is important to beat the worst of any queues.

“The best way for drivers to avoid breaking down this week is to check over their vehicles before setting out – yet our research shows less than a fifth do this routinely. Making sure oil, coolant and screenwash are all at the right levels takes just minutes, as does ensuring tyres are free of damage and are inflated properly. A bit of TLC now could make the difference between a straightforward trip and one beset by a breakdown.”

Gabbi Batchelor, water safety educationn manager at the RNLI said: “We are expecting the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend and the half-term holidays to be incredibly busy at the coast. We want everyone to enjoy their trip, but we also want to make sure people stay safe and know what to do in an emergency.

“If you get into trouble in the water, Float to Live: lean back, using your arms and legs to stay afloat. Control your breathing, then call for help or swim to safety. In a coastal emergency, call 999 or 112 for the Coastguard.”