Britain basks in balmy 73F temperatures as Bank Holiday ends

Last of the summer sun: Britain basks in balmy 73F temperatures as Bank Holiday comes to a close – before Autumn kicks in on Thursday bringing rain for the weekend

• Sunshine and cloud will end the country’s Metrological Summer before rain begins to move in later this week
• Highs of 73.4F (23C) will be seen in the south of the country today, with eastern coasts remaining cooler
• The biggest change in conditions will be at the end of the week, as the country enters Meteorological Autumn

Sunshine and cloud will end the country’s Metrological Summer before rain begins to move in later this week, as Brits can expect to see highs of 73.4F (23C) today, with the rest of the UK in the high teens and low 20s.

Today will remain largely dry, with some warm, sunny spells in the south, peaking at 23C near Bristol and Cardiff. The eastern coasts will remain cooler, between 62.6F (17C) and 59F (15C). With the high pressure system dominating, it will stay fairly settled. 

Any light rain in northern England this morning will ease, although some drizzle may hang on in the northeast of the UK. There may even be a short shower in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told MailOnline that the biggest change is coming at the end of the week, as the country enters Meteorological Autumn. Rain will move in from the Atlantic, bringing wet weather to Northern Ireland and Scotland first, with it persisting in the north of the UK on Friday. 

This will include some ‘heavier bursts’ and ‘longer periods of rain’, then spreading across the country by Saturday and Sunday.   

Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said that it has been a ‘record breaker of a season’ but the country is now moving into its next phase.

‘We are now heading towards the end of Metrological Summer, but we are doing so in a rather warm and quiet note,’ he said.

Sunshine and cloud will end the country’s Metrological Summer before rain begins to move in later this week. pictured, the sunrise over Dunsden, Oxfordshire, on Monday morning

Today will remain largely dry, with some warm, sunny spells in the south, peaking at 23C near Bristol and Cardiff. Pictured, the sun shines through dappled clouds in Oxfordshire on Monday morning

‘It’s a fine and bright start for many of us on Monday morning, especially in the west. further east we are seeing some pushing westwards from the North Sea and that cloud is thick enough to give a few outbreaks of light rain and drizzle in places.

‘Now with the best of the sunshine in the west, that is where we are likely to see the highest temperatures during the course of Monday — so feeling pleasantly warm there.

‘Where we see that thicker cloud in the east, temperatures down a little on recent values. So remaining dry but cloudy Monday evening, again with a few clear spells developing across the west and the south.’

The Met Office has also warned of brisk winds along the south coast today, between 15 and 20mph, with some localised gusts up to 35mph.

Rowers make their way along the River Avon in Warwick on Monday morning, as settled weather continues

Parched grass contrasts to artificial grass at St Nicholas’ Park in Warwick. Rain will be arriving in the country by Friday

This evening will bring some isolated showers in the north, with patchy drizzle in northeastern parts of the country, with the rest of the UK staying largely dry. It will be breezier in the south and southwest, with a cooler night due to lack of cloud cover

By Wednesday, the weather will begin to become more unsettled, with showers expected in the east of the country

Cloud cover will increase on Thursday, with rain showers predicted for Friday, as the weather becomes more unsettled

Ms Stroud added: ‘Settled conditions will continue into Tuesday with high pressure continuing to dominate the weather over the coming few days.

‘While that high pressure cell is fairly weak, we are still likely to see some cloud and some rain in the forecast at times, but that rain mostly light.’

There may be some early drizzle and low cloud in the northeast, with possible isolated showers of rain in the afternoon towards the north. It will feel warmest in the southwest, and cooler in northeast. 

Mr Stroud added: ‘Looking a little bit further towards the end of the week, there are hints that the weather may turn more unsettled from Friday, from the north and the west, with rain for many of us.’

The north of the country will see cooler nights with a few heavy showers possible by Friday across the country. Coastal areas in the south and east will feel coolest, with central areas more sheltered from the onshore winds. 

Yesterday holidaymakers flocked to the UK’s beaches in the sun, as the Bank Holiday continued to bring good weather before the return of schools at the start of September.

Temperatures remained in the low 20s, with highs of 77F (25C) in parts of London and the west of the country, including Liverpool and Bristol. 

The warm temperatures will continue into the week, before unsettled weather arrives from the west by the weekend.

Dry conditions yesterday were welcomed by the tens of thousands of festivalgoers at London’s Notting Hill Carnival 

Musicians, dancers and performers gather on west London’s streets on Sunday. Yesterday’s dry conditions will continue into the carnival’s second day

Dry conditions yesterday were welcomed by the tens of thousands of festivalgoers at London’s Notting Hill Carnival, with today’s dry conditions continuing into the carnival’s second day.

A Met Office spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘On Bank Holiday Monday, there is a bit of a split between the south west and north east. It will be cloudier overall but the best of the sunshine will be seen in western areas such as Wales.

‘Further north-east it will be cloudier with a higher risk of showers, particularly in the north east of England.

‘Temperatures will be a bit chillier in the north under the cloud, we’re looking at in the teens to low 20s’.

A man lies on the dead grass at Leeds festival on Sunday, enjoying the warm temperatures and sunshine

The parched ground has stayed dry at Leeds Festival this weekend, with revellers enjoying the warm weather in their shorts

Tens of thousands of revellers have been at the Reading and Leeds festivals between Wednesday and Sunday, with the rapper Dave and the Arctic Monkeys among the headliners.

Festivalgoer Rod Leith, 65, said that he has seen the weather improve at Reading Festival over recent years.

He said: ‘I’ve been coming here since 1976. The festival now is larger, and the music has become more diverse, but other than that it’s much the same as it always was. There are more stages than there were, and the weather seems to be much better these days.’

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