After a week of heavy rains and strong winds, it’s tempting to hope that the weather gods will reward us with a mini-heatwave for Bank Holiday weekend.
But while the Met Office informs us that conditions will not be satisfied to meet the definition of a heatwave, we do still stand a chance of having a reasonably fine break.
Meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “Temperatures are starting to pick up as we start to head towards the long weekend. In the North West it may still be a little bit cloudy with rain but for elsewhere it will be most dry and sunny.”
The mercury could reach the mid to high-20s depending on where the air flow comes from. Should air be drawn in from southern Europe, temperatures will be warmer, with a possible 26C forecast for Sunday in the south east.
If it comes from the west however, it will be a decidedly 5-10C cooler.
Regardless of which way the wind blows, it will be a welcome respite from a washout week, which saw the temperatures drop to below freezing overnight.
Monday also saw the death of a man who was washed into a harbour in Ramsgate, Kent, in what were described as “atrocious” weather conditions.
Parts of Kent saw about a month’s worth of rain in just 24 hours on Monday. Lenham had 58mm of rain in 24 hours while the average rainfall for April in Kent is 49.2mm, prompting the Met Office to note it had been “a very wet day across the whole of the county.”
Residents at Hemsby, Norfolk, are still counting the cost of the bad weather as preparations are being made to demolish six more clifftop homes after strong winds and high tides ate away at more of the cliff face.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council has condemned the properties in The Marrams as dangerous and said demolition work will take place as soon as it is safe and practically possible to do so.
Deputy council leader Carl Smith said: “Following the storm in March, when the initial properties were lost, it was a sad inevitability that the loss of more cliff material would take place at some time and leave further properties in a dangerous condition.
“Unfortunately, in these unusual circumstances, demolition is the only option to ensure public safety, which is the top priority.”
Temperatures overnight into Tuesday plunged to -4.6C in Aboyne, Aberdenshire, and -4.2C in Redesdale Camp, Northumberland, but there will be a big jump to around 18-19C and 12-13C respectively in those areas during the day.
It was a pretty chilly start to the day for the University of St Andrews students who took part in the traditional May Day Dip on the East Sands in Fife. They plunged into the freezing North Sea at dawn on the first day of May to promote good luck in exams.
There could be spring sunshine for many who woke up to a dry and chilly start as temperatures fell away under clear skies.
A brighter day is expected across East Anglia and the South East compared with the previous 24 hours.
Top temperatures could reach 15C in the South and around 10C in the North.