King's Coronation could be sunny and dry for your street party, University of Reading expert says

With the King's Coronation taking place in just under two weeks, many of us are wondering what the Great British weather could have in store.

It's a little too early for the standard forecast, which typically can give us an idea four to five days ahead of time.

However, one expert from the University of Reading, has suggested we could be in for a bright and dry day, if our weather behaves as expected.

Historical trends tell us that the weekend of the Coronation is typically dry and sunny, but it is known to be slightly cooler than average for a Saturday in May.

The news, from Dr Stephen Burt, suggests the day will be rain free if forecasts follow figures from the last 30 years.

In 15 out of the last 30 years May 6 been entirely dry, which bodes well for those hoping to have street parties or watch the event at a big screen.

This includes many that will be viewing from big screens in parks across the south, including Brighton, Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.

Dr Stephen Burt from the University's Department of Meteorology research found there's previously been highs of just under 17°C, slightly cooler than the months average.

He said: “Last year, 6 May saw a maximum temperature of 21.0 °C, a minimum of 7.7 °C, 0.8 mm of rainfall and 7.2 hours of sunshine.

“Based purely on climatology, we might expect a dry and fairly sunny day that is a little on the cool side.

"It is important to be clear that this is not a forecast as such – that will have to wait for a little closer to the date itself as weather forecast models have little reliability that far ahead.

"We should have a fairly good feel for how the day will shape up from around 4-5 days beforehand.”

The Met Office long range forecast, which is available until the end of May does hint at a possibility of more settled weather developing by the King's Coronation.

However there is a chance of some rain and strong winds in places at first, mainly in northern and western areas.

Overall, it said, temperatures will likely be below average to start in the far north but will increase to slightly above average.

By the second week of May it warned that there is a greater chance of rain, however confidence in the forecast is low.

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