The coming week will see a return to cooler, “more springlike” weather following the warm and sunny spells seen during the first half of the bank holiday weekend, the Met Office has said.
For many, wind and rain may soften the blow of the UK coronavirus lockdown – which looks set to continue, after Boris Johnson announced only gradual easing of restrictions on Sunday evening.
Temperatures on Saturday peaked at 24.9C (76.8F) in London, and remained widely into the 20s for many parts of the UK, causing many people to flock to parks. Police in the south-east reported having had to move on hundreds of people from beaches.
Sunday saw maximum temperatures drop by about 10C across the country, with a cloud front moving southwards, though some southern parts remained warm.
The Met Office added that the UK would continue to see more cloud and wind in the coming week, but “nothing significant or unusual”.
Some parts of the UK can expect to see frostier mornings. While few people are expected to take up the chance to sunbathe as lockdown restrictions ease in England from Wednesday, temperatures should start to rise as the summer approaches.
“Part of springs charm is you can get both types of weather,” a spokesman for the Met Office said. “May can be quite a topsy-turvy month, getting closer to the start of summer. Its not unusual for spring to have a hot part and a colder part.”
The return to duller weather comes following record-breaking April sunshine – all four UK countries recorded it among the top five sunniest since records in a series from 1929.
In the final week of the month, rainfall totals increased in many places – but the UK overall still only received 40% of average April rainfall, according to official Met Office figures.
