UK set for bank holiday washout after driest Spring in more than 50 years

23 May 2025, 17:46

The UK is set for a rainy weekend
The UK is set for a rainy weekend. Picture: Alamy

By Henry Moore

The UK is set for a bank holiday washout as rain batters much of England and Wales following one of the driest Springs on record.

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Spring has so far been sunny and dry with above average sunshine and temperatures reaching the mid to high 20Cs.

However, rain will push in from the west on Friday night and is forecast to affect the whole country.

Temperatures are dropping to around average but winds could make it feel cooler.

Most places will reach the mid-to-high teens during the weekend and parts of the south-east may get up to around 21C or 22C.

Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said: “This is a wetter end to the final week of spring.”

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She added: “The weather has been very dry and settled in recent weeks, some parts of the country haven’t had any rain for about 30 days, so it’s all set to change over the Bank Holiday weekend.

“Perhaps welcome rain for some areas that have been dry for quite a long period of time”.

Clouds will cover much of the UK on Saturday and there will be some heavy showers in a few spots, particularly the north, she said.

Most areas should see around five to 10mm but that could reach 25 to 30mm in western Scotland.

The previous dry weather means there is no risk of flooding.

Another band of heavy rain will move in from the west on Saturday evening and it will clear eastwards on Sunday morning.

There will be scattered showers and sunny spells for most during Sunday day.

Heavy winds are expected to pick up on Saturday night into Sunday too.

There are no weather warnings in force but the winds could reach at 50mph in some northern areas.

They could create “tricky conditions” for campers and others venturing outdoors during the long weekend, Ms Mitchell cautioned.

The meteorologist said: “It will be quite windy Sunday and Monday so probably won’t feel particularly warm but it’s not particularly cold either.”