UK weather: Sunny spell forecast to make way for weekend washout

Weeks of sunny weather are set to be brought to an end with a weekend washout.

Many parts of the UK will see showers on Saturday, with thunderstorms possible in Wales and south-west England, the Met Office said.

It follows the hottest May on record last month and string of dry, sunny weekends with soaring temperatures.

“We’re back to normal with sunshine and showers – our normal summer weather,” said Met Office forecaster Bonnie Diamond.

“By Saturday, there’ll be a mix of sunny spells and showers for many and actually it looks like some of the showers could be quite heavy, with thunder not being ruled out.”

Conditions are expected to remain fairly warm, with temperatures of between 19C and 21C in the south.

Ms Diamond added: “Sunday looks to be the better day of the weekend – light winds for many, and we’ll see light showers in places on Sunday afternoon across northern England and Scotland.

“Elsewhere it should stay dry with some sunny spells developing too.”

Britain is likely to enjoy a hot and dry summer following the warmest May on record, forecasters have said.

The recent good weather is set to continue through June, July and August due to an increased chance of high pressure patterns across the UK.

Jeff Knight, manager of modelling of climate variability at the Met Office, said: “Our long term outlook for the summer suggests a greater chance that temperatures will be above average, than below average.

"Our outlook certainly doesn't imply a three-month heatwave. As always with our climate there are likely to be large day-to-day and week-to-week variations over the period."