UK weather: Further rain expected ahead of what could be coldest August Bank Holiday on record

Possible peak of 19C follows last year’s record heat

Heavy rains and thunderstorms for Friday (AFP/Getty)

Heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected on Friday ahead of what could be the coldest August bank holiday on record.

Further downpours will follow Thursday’s torrential rain right across the UK, the Met Office said, with thunderstorms forecast in southern England and south Wales.

Met Office weather warnings are in place across those southern regions between 11am and 8pm on Friday, with a good chance there will be traffic disruption and delays to public transport.

Heavy rain seen overnight in northeast England is expected to let up by Friday afternoon as the weather edges southwards though weather warnings remain in place until 11am with localised flooding expected. East Anglia is set to see the worst from this southern drift with very heavy rain going into the evening, the Met Office forecasts.

Looking ahead to the bank holiday weekend, conditions are expected to clear up for the most part, though Saturday may bring showers for those areas exposed to northerly winds such as the east of England, coastal Scotland and the west of Wales.

Forecasters expect temperatures to drop across the UK over the weekend, bringing the possibility that Monday may be the coldest August Bank Holiday on record.

Temperatures could peak at 19C in London while parts of Scotland will see highs of 11C, far below the 16C average. The chill follows the hottest August bank holiday on record last year, when a high of 33.2C was recorded at Heathrow.

Meteorologist Emma Salter explained: ”We could see some places getting the coldest maximum temperatures on record this bank holiday Monday.

“The lowest maximum temperature recorded was 10.1C in the Shetland Islands – if anywhere gets lower than that it’s in the running to be the coldest on record.”

Additional reporting by Press Association