The bank holiday weekend is under way with a host of big events taking place – but will the weather dampen spirits?
And how will disruption on the roads and railways affect the plans of millions of people around the UK?
Weather
A dry and settled bank holiday weekend is in store for many in the UK, but with record temperatures possible in some parts, forecasters have said.
Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gunderen said temperatures “are generally on the rise through the weekend, possibly peaking around 28C (82F) in some parts of southern and central England on Monday”.
He said any rain around will probably be “fairly short-lived and is unlikely to be heavy”, with most likely to fall “in parts of Northern Ireland and northern England on Saturday and western parts of Scotland on Sunday.
Check out the forecast for the area where you live
Sky weather producer Kirsty McCabe said Hurricane Erin, which hit North America, was “set to track across the Atlantic towards our shores”, but concerns it might bring “unseasonably wet and windy weather” for the August bank holiday have eased.
By Monday, Erin will no longer be a hurricane and its impact is likely to be limited to causing a “deep area of low pressure to the west of Ireland”, she added.
The forecaster said there was a “good chance” parts of Northern Ireland and Wales will beat their maximum temperatures for the August Bank Holiday 23.8C (75F) for Northern Ireland and 26.5C (80F) for Wales.
The remnants of Erin are likely to create “large swell and powerful waves” which, she said, “could mean great conditions for experienced surfers”.
She added: “So while the weekend and the start of next week look mainly dry and increasingly warm, we’ll see a transition to cooler, breezier and wetter conditions from the west as ex-Erin sweeps in through Tuesday.”
Roads
Delays to road and rail journeys are expected for the millions of people expected to join the bank holiday getaway.
The RAC expects 17.6 million trips by car in the UK between Friday and Monday, at least three million of them each on Friday and Saturday.
As usual, the UK’s motorways will bear much of the strain, with the M5 between Bristol and Devon having the most severe traffic, transport analytics company Inrix predicted, warning junctions 15 to 23 could see delays of more than 40 minutes on Friday and Saturday.
The RAC’s Nick Mullender said: “We’re expecting major roads to airports and coastal destinations to be extremely busy, especially the South East and South West regions which could end up bearing the brunt of most holiday hold-ups.
“Anyone planning routes through these areas should set off as early as possible or be prepared to spend longer in traffic.”
Railways
On the trains, RMT members working for CrossCountry are striking on Saturday, when there’ll be no service, and Monday, when there’ll be fewer trains running.
The operator’s services connect major British cities including Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, Southampton, Cardiff and Edinburgh.
With more than 250 Network Rail projects under way, some major routes will be closed for engineering work.
Helen Hamlin, Network Rail’s chief network operator, said the “vast majority of the railway will be running” but “works on some parts of the network are unfortunately unavoidable”.
Big events
London’s Notting Hill Carnival is taking place this weekend, along with the Reading and Leeds festivals, the Emerge festival in Belfast, the Edinburgh Fringe closing weekend and Creamfields festival in Cheshire.
Fans enjoying the 2024 Leeds Festival. File pic: PA
Travis Scott, Chappell Roan and Hozier and among the headliners at the Reading and Leeds music festivals this weekend and fans shouldn’t need to pack any umbrellas.
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Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “For festivals and outdoor events, the weather should not cause any disruption.
“It’s looking very summer-like and really pleasant to warm for most.”
The Women’s Rugby World Cup kicked off on Friday, with Scotland, Wales and Ireland playing in the tournament on Saturday.
The Scots and Welsh face each other at Salford Community Stadium, while the Irish take on Japan at Northampton on Sunday.
