UK: Dry, milder spell to come after wet and windy bank holiday

By Adam Douty, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

May 1,2016; 9:20PM,EDT

 

 

Those looking forward to traveling or spending the bank holiday outdoors across the United Kingdom will face bouts of rain and increasingly gusty winds.
A cold front moving from northwest to southeast across the Isles on Monday will bring with it numerous showers and several heavier outbreaks of rain. The rain and gusty wind will threaten to cause travel delays on roads and through the air.

As a cold front advances to the south and east, steady rain that soaked Northern Ireland and Scotland on Sunday night will advance into North West England and northern Wales on Monday morning. Though the heaviest rain will taper off across these areas on Monday afternoon, showers will linger through the remainder of the day.
The heaviest rain will target western Scotland and North West England early on Monday morning, reducing visibility and heightening the risk of vehicles hydroplaning when traveling at highway speeds. While downpours will lessen by the midmorning hours of Monday, travelers will face additional wind-swept showers and spray from other vehicles into the afternoon.
Farther south, blustery showers will spread across the South and East of England on Monday afternoon.
While the rain wets roads and causes slower travel, a gusty wind will also bring inconveniences for anyone outdoors and could delay air travel.
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The strongest winds of the bank holiday are expected in western Scotland. Gusts to around 50 mph (80 km/h) are possible with localized gusts to 60 mph (95 km/h) along the coast and on the Hebrides, potentially causing sporadic power cuts and tree damage.
There can be isolated gusts of 50 mph (80 km/h) across the rest of Scotland, northern England and northern Wales during the morning and early afternoon of Monday. Gusts of 30-40 mph (50-65 km/h) are expected elsewhere in Wales and southern England.
Motorists heading home after the holiday may feel these winds tug at their vehicles. Minor flight delays are also possible. The winds will easily toss around loose lawn items.
"Monday will not start very windy around London," AccuWeather Meteorologist Courtney Spamer said. "However, winds will increase during the day."
The winds will create choppy conditions for the decorated boats at the IWA Canalway Cavalcade in London's Little Venice area.

While it will remain breezy across Britain on Tuesday with isolated showers across the north, a turn to largely dry and milder weather is coming during the middle of the week.
High pressure will produce a southerly flow across Wales, England and southern Scotland during the middle of the week bringing the return of dry, brighter and mild conditions. The wind will also slacken making for several pleasant days.
The exception to the dry and pleasant weather will be in northern Scotland as a cold front brings several rounds of showers.