Cloud and thunder dampen holiday spirits across the UK

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A shift in the weather is set to mark the end of the bank holiday weekend across the UK, as the Met Office forecasts cloud and rain for much of the country.
The weather service anticipates Monday will be “rather cloudy with rain continuing eastwards, sometimes heavy and thundery over England in the afternoon,” followed by “sunny spells and showers” in western regions, with temperatures hovering around seasonal norms.
Met Office operational meteorologist Dan Stroud explained, “It will be a rather cloudy start to Monday with a band of rain moving eastwards during the course of the day, turning a little bit brighter and showery from the west later on Monday afternoon,” and added, “So it’s not a complete washout for the likes of Northern Ireland, Wales and the south and west.”
Mr Stroud noted highs of 17C to 18C are expected on Monday, but overnight temperatures may fall low enough for a touch of frost in the far north, with Tuesday starting dry and bright for many, though remnants of Monday’s rain could linger in the extreme north and east of Scotland.
“But for many, Tuesday actually starts on a dry and bright note.
We’ve got the legacy of Monday’s rain still hanging on to the extreme north and east of Scotland but then it’s all eyes to the west as a fairly deep area of low pressure approaches,” he said, warning that “cloud and outbreaks of heavy rain will spread in from the west during the course of Tuesday.”
The meteorologist highlighted that parts of Devon and Cornwall have already received their average monthly rainfall over the past week, but conditions are expected to “gradually improve” and “become increasingly dry and bright” towards the end of the week as high pressure builds from the north.
Tourism authority VisitEngland estimated around 10.6 million British adults planned to holiday within the UK over the bank holiday, while the AA projected just over 18 million journeys on Monday, a notable rise from last year’s Easter Monday.
Train passengers faced disruption as Network Rail undertook engineering work on more than 300 projects, with the most significant impact at London Euston, where services to and from Milton Keynes were suspended on Saturday and Easter Sunday, and a reduced timetable operated on Good Friday and Monday due to upgrades including overhead electric line renewals and drainage improvements.
Meanwhile, travel trade organisation Abta reported approximately 2.2 million Britons would head overseas during the long weekend, with Good Friday being the busiest travel day.
This period of unsettled weather follows an early April marked by unusually high temperatures and sunshine, with the Met Office recording highs of up to 23.7C in Otterbourne, Hampshire, and meteorologists warning of increased wildfire risk due to prolonged dry conditions.
Experts suggest that while the recent “blocking pattern” of high pressure brought unseasonably warm and dry weather, the return of rain is expected as this pattern shifts, signaling a transition back to more typical spring conditions for the UK.