British summer gets off to a cold and wet start with thundery showers forecast

Thundery showers are forecast to hit parts of the UK this week as the British summer gets off to a wet and cold start.

The weather is expected to remain unsettled for the rest of this week, according to Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon.

Temperatures will also remain below average over the next few days because of a northerly wind drawing air from the Arctic across the UK.

Mr Dixon said the weather on Tuesday and Wednesday will remain generally dry in the west, with some rain in eastern parts of the UK.

“On Thursday there will be more persistent rain for much of the country,” he said.

He added there would be a “more unsettled weather regime” on Thursday and Friday and heading into the weekend with “thundery showers” in the south-east of England on Friday.

Between 20-40mm of rainfall is expected, with the highest levels on higher ground in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Temperatures will remain in the mid-teens in much of the UK during the week, while overnight temperatures “could be getting towards the low single figures” in northern parts of Scotland.

The south-east of England will see the highest temperatures, with 19C expected on Thursday and Friday.

However, Mr Dixon warned: “It won’t feel particularly warm with the rain we have been having.”

May was the warmest on record, but felt cold in UK. ITV Weather presenter Becky Mantin explains why...

Recently released May stats have created widespread public disbelief and, in some cases, outrage. But the facts behind the figures may shed a little more light.

What was the previous May average and how much was it beaten by?

The previous record was 12.1C (set in 2008) and in May 2024 it rose to 13.1C so that's a difference of 1C.

It felt so cold, how can temperatures have been warmer than usual?

Remember that the average temperature is made up of the daytime and overnight temperature. It was, in the main, night time temperatures that were higher than usual, that pushed that whole month average up. You might remember that we didn't have many overnight or early frosts during May - we would usually expect a lot more of these in late Spring.

It's also worth remembering that we also experienced a significantly cloudier month than usual - and that lack of brightness really affects the feel of the weather. 12C on a sunny day and 12C on a cloudy, perhaps drizzly day will feel very different even if the thermometer is exactly the same.

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