Brits are in for a “mixed bag” next week with a drop in temperatures and the arrival of heavy rain. After a period of good weather in April, warm weather is expected to be replaced with downpours and cooler temperatures throughout the week.
The change could be a relief for some areas of the UK, with firefighters battling large wildfires amid the recent dry weather. Met Office spokesman Craig Snell said: “It is going to be a more changeable week this week compared to what we have been used to for the last two to three weeks.
“High pressure has gone away now and we’re just going to be firmly under the influence of low pressure as we go through the week ahead. It’s not going to be a complete washout – we will see some further sunnier moments, but most of the UK will see some rain at some point. Compared to the day-on-day blue skies we had last week it is going to feel very different during the week ahead.”
Mr Snell also said temperatures from highs of 18 or 19 degrees, but this is still above average for this time of year and southeast England is expected to stay sunny on Monday with highs of 20 degrees possible. Central parts of the UK will be wet and cloudy.
There will be “plenty of wet weather” mostly in England and Wales from Tuesday. Towards the end of the week and into the long Easter weekend, Mr Snell said it would become a “changeable picture”.
“Some places will see rain, others some sunshine, depending on where you are in the UK on Thursday and Friday one day will be wetter than the other,” he said.
“Not cold by any means, but compared to the first week of the Easter holidays, the second week does look like a bit more of a mixed bag across the UK.”
Snow is likely across mountaintops, chiefly in Scotland, but it may drift into the northern Pennines. “We’re talking about the tops of the mountains, at lower levels we’re not going to see anything white falling from the sky,” Mr Snell said.
“We’re still climbing our way through spring, to see snow across the mountains of Scotland and England in April is not unusual.”
The change in weather comes after fire chiefs issued a number of wildfire warnings across the UK in recent days. On Friday, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said fire and rescue services in England and Wales have responded to 380 wildfires so far this year – more than double the number during the same period in 2022, which went on to be a record year.
After a prolonged dry spell, Mr Snell said the rain will be welcome for some, particularly gardeners and farmers.
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