UK weather: Easter bank holiday to end in downpours – but there’s good news for first day back

The bank holiday is expected to end with a bang tomorrow with the arrival of “hefty” downpours and thunder. However things are looking up for Tuesday when Brits return to work.

The arrival of British summer time was greeted by more rainfall on Sunday, with families warned to leave later to avoid the Easter deluge. The Met Office warning for rain on Sunday night prompted the RAC to advise the two million motorists heading home to leave it until later.

The affected regions included Portsmouth, Southampton, Bristol, Bath and Cardiff where up to 20mm-30mm of rainfall were expected to fall over a short period of time.

Forecaster Liam Eslick told The Mirror: “It’s not the start to Spring everyone wanted to see. The rain will continue on and off for the rest of the week, apart from when everyone goes back to work on Tuesday, which is looking to be the nicest day. Unfortunately it’s business as usual with more rain to come annoyingly. The groundwater is high at the moment.”

This Easter, he explained, was wetter than average but had also been warmer than average, with temperatures in Yorkshire hitting 15C at the weekend.

“For Bank Holiday Monday there is a bit of low pressure in the South East which will make its way slowly northwards, which is bringing quite a bit of rainfall towards central parts of England, Wales and northern England. Some of the showers are going to be heavy so there is a chance we will hear the rumble of thunder here and there,” he said.

“Northern England is going to be quite a bit of rain but the heaviest downpours will be in the higher areas such as The Pennines and Yorkshire Moors. It is going to be an unsettled week with Tuesday probably going to be the nicest of the days. Later in the week the wind will also pick up.”

Guidance on the Met Office website encourages drivers to reduce their speeds, as rain can reduce visibility, and give themselves more time to brake on slippery road surfaces – suggesting a gap of at least four seconds between traffic.

The BBC’s weather app shows London will have rain every day this week, apart from Tuesday. The BBC confirmed at the weekend their meteorologists pick the symbol that summarises the day’s weather based on the gloomiest part of the forecast.

“The day symbol reflects the weather conditions likely to have the greatest impact on people’s lives. This may give emphasis to a short, specific spell of weather on any day, and is designed to be read in context with the broader picture and hour-by-hour detail, which changes according to the latest data,” the BBC said.