After a warm and humid start to the week, it will turn fresher and noticeably cooler as we head towards the Bank Holiday weekend, with some showers or rain at times, but some dry and sunny weather too.



From today (Thursday), temperatures across the UK will take a dip as a cold front brings fresher air in from the Atlantic. Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Martin Young, said, “The cooler conditions will continue through the weekend and for some it’ll certainly feel quite different to what we’ve been used to this summer. The mornings especially will be quite chilly with temperatures locally in single figures and some of us in rural areas may even have a touch of frost overnight.”



Despite still being in meteorological summer, the occurrence of a ground frost in August is not especially unusual for the UK. In Scotland, a reasonably widespread ground frost has been recorded during Augusts 2016, 2014, 2012 and 2010. Widespread ground frosts are less common in England, the last time being 24 August 2014. Air frosts in August are more unusual for England, Northern Ireland and Wales, however it is fairly normal for a few stations across northern Scotland to record air temperatures below freezing during this month.

Saturday will see plenty of sunshine for most, though a few showers are still likely. “In the best of the sunshine, temperatures could rise to around 18 or 19 Celsius so it’ll feel quite pleasant”, said Martin. “On Sunday, it looks most likely that rain will arrive in the west during the morning and spread eastwards across many parts of the country through the rest of the day. Some of the rain could be heavy at times in western parts of the UK.

With the prospect of mixed weather over the weekend, a spokesperson from the National Trust said, “The long weekend offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy and explore much of our countryside and beaches and the National Trust really has something for everyone – whatever the weather. It looks like the weather will be ideal for walking through hills, mountains and beaches in some areas of the country, and where there’s more showers or rain, one of our historic houses or Estates may be right up your street – many with fantastic collections and exhibitions to enjoy.

Looking ahead to Monday, which is a Bank Holiday in all the home nations except Scotland, it’ll be a much better day than Sunday for most; with bright and breezy weather bringing a few scattered showers and some sunshine. Temperatures will be close to normal but in the south it’ll feel warmer as temperatures climb into the low 20s Celsius.