Met Office verdict on sunshine for August Bank Holiday as Brits hope for heat

12 August 2023 , 10:50

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Met Office verdict on sunshine for August Bank Holiday as Brits hope for heat

The great British summer has been nothing short of a disappointment, with only glimpses of heat so far, but after this week's short stint of scorching temperatures, could the weather be on the up for the August Bank Holiday?

The UK weather has shown a stark contrast to other parts of Europe as fresh wildfires hit the Algarve region and other areas of Portugal, with temperatures estimated to reach 40C over the weekend.

Brits managed to bask in the sunshine on Thursday, as the heat climbed towards the high 20s before forecasters predicted downpours for some parts of England.

The Met Office has since released its long-range forecast and estimated that a dry August bank holiday is unlikely, however there could be some "warm spells" between August 26 to September 9.

The long range forecast revealed there could be some warm spells (PA)

It read: "Conditions are likely to remain changeable towards the end of August and into early September. This perhaps with the wettest conditions over the north and northwest. There is a probability for thunderstorms developing within warm interludes, especially in the south, but perhaps spreading across the UK at times, which could lead to large local variations in precipitation totals through the period. This might contribute to an unequal distribution of precipitation across the country."

Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts

The forecast continued: "Temperatures are likely to trend down to near or slightly above average, although warm spells remain a possibility." The long-range forecast is unavailable to predict the weather past this date as the longer the range, the less chance of accuracy. As for this weekend, temperatures should stay high for most areas while some places will experience wet weather.

This map shows how temperatures could play out on August 26 (WX CHART)

Met Office forecaster previously Alex Deakin said: “Look at this another spell of rain likely to head in towards Northern Ireland as we head towards Saturday morning. It will be turning cooler. Cooler air in place so temperatures at night will be dipping down lower. The closer to the low here, the more frequent the showers. Lots of them for Scotland, Northern Ireland, some heavy ones too. Bands of showers likely to cross through England and Wales as well. The showers may form into bands which is something we need to keep an eye on because some places may see shower after shower and others may stay dry.”

Monica Charsley