Platinum Jubilee weather: Rain on way before temperatures 'in 20s' for bank holiday

Ross McGuinness
Updated ·4 min read
Union jack flags at a Diamond Jubilee street party in Nottingham.
Thousands of street parties are planned across the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. (PA)

Millions of Britons are still hoping for a sunny Platinum Jubilee weekend despite wet weather being forecast for early next week.

Thousands of street parties are expected to take place across the UK for the bumper double bank holiday next week to celebrate the Queen's 70 years on the throne.

And all those attending Jubilee celebrations are crossing their fingers that the long weekend isn't a washout.

The Jubilee is unlikely to hit the heights of the 27.5C recorded earlier this month on the hottest day of the year so far, with most people just hoping it doesn't rain.

The Met Office has said that the early part of next week will be defined by rain showers, but that drier and sunnier weather is expected by Thursday leading into the Jubilee weekend.

People enjoy the sun under blossoming cherry trees in Greenwich Park, London. Parts of the UK are enjoying warmer weather than usual on Easter Sunday as the spate of high temperatures continues. Picture date: Sunday April 17, 2022.
People enjoy the sun under blossoming cherry trees in Greenwich Park, London, last month. (PA)

Maximum UK temperatures on Monday and Tuesday could be as low as 16C, the Met Office said, although it predicted highs of 21C or 22C by Wednesday and Thursday.

Met Office forecaster Richard Miles told Yahoo News on Friday: "This weekend coming, we're going to see nice weather today and tomorrow for more or less everyone.

"But on Sunday there are going to be some showers and that will mark the start of unsettled weather for the following few days.

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"From Sunday to Wednesday it will feel pretty cool for the time of year. On Thursday we will start to see some drier conditions."

Watch: Hottest UK day of the year so far recorded with 27.5C

Miles said the highest temperatures in the early part of the week will be around 16C.

He added: "By Wednesday, we might see 19 or 20 or 20 and above in the south. It will depend on whether the sun is out. Showers will be more towards the north of England."

He said there is still "real uncertainty for the Jubilee weekend itself", with forecasters waiting to see what an incoming low pressure system will do when it meets warm air on the south east of the UK next week.

He said the Jubilee weekend will "possibly" see high temperatures in the early 20s.

In its UK long range weather forecast, for the period beginning on Tuesday, the Met Office said: "Eastern areas are likely to be cloudier with a higher risk of showers at the start of this period, with drier weather and the best of the sunshine probably in the west.

Two people rest on deck chairs in Hyde Park, as people enjoy the warm weather in London. Parts of the UK are enjoying warmer weather than usual on Easter Sunday as the spate of high temperatures continues. Picture date: Sunday April 17, 2022.
Two people rest on deck chairs in Hyde Park, as many are hoping for sunny weather over the Jubilee weekend. (PA)
People on pedalos move along the river Avon by St Nicholas' Park in Warwick. Parts of the UK are enjoying warmer weather than usual on Easter Sunday as the spate of high temperatures continues. Picture date: Sunday April 17, 2022.
People on pedalos move along the river Avon by St Nicholas' Park in Warwick last month. (PA)

"The east is also expected to see cooler than average temperatures over this period.

"Into the rest of next week, it will likely be mainly fine and dry, but occasional rain and showers, mainly in the east. Feeling warm in any sunshine.

"Towards the bank holiday weekend this pattern is likely to continue, and although there will be plenty of dry weather with sunny spells, there's also a chance of some more unsettled, showery conditions developing for some parts of the UK."

Read more: Queen's Platinum Jubilee - when is the extra bank holiday?

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Rudman said: “There will be plenty of sunshine around this weekend with temperatures expected to reach 21C in some southern spots on Saturday.

"However, from Sunday it’ll be cooler for most and as we move into next week there’s a more mixed picture once again.

"Spells of rain affecting many places before more settled conditions are expected through the middle of the week, though still with the chance of some showers even then.

“Although the Jubilee Weekend is still a week away, what we’re keeping an eye on is how a plume of warm air behaves later in the week, which, despite returning temperatures to around average for the time of year, could also bring some showers as it moves in from the south and travels north on Thursday and Friday.”

Watch: MPs pay tribute to the Queen as 'Elizabeth the Great'