Coldest May night in five years recorded with more unsettled weather on way

Temperatures plummeted to minus 6.1C in the coldest May night in five years, the Met Office said, and although conditions are set to be warmer later in the week, thunderstorms are also on the cards.

Some residents in Scotland , parts of northern England and Northern Ireland woke to a frost on Wednesday morning.

Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands saw the lowest temperature, but sub-zero temperatures were also recorded in Shap, in Cumbria, and Castlederg, in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

The Met Office said it would be a much cooler feeling day on Wednesday, although conditions would be dry and bright for many.

Forecaster Alex Burkill said there would likely be some outbreaks of rain in Wales, south-west England and western Scotland.

“There’s actually going to be a lot of dry weather around and even some brightness, some sunshine breaking through the cloud albeit it’s not going to be anywhere near as sunny as it was through much of last week,” the Met Office forecaster said.

“And we also have some colder air that’s coming through, plunging down from the north.

“It was a chilly day in the north yesterday (Tuesday) for the time of year and, quite markedly, temperatures will be down a few degrees compared to yesterday further south as well, highs of around 15C or 16C at best, so those temperatures are a little bit lower than average for the time of year.”
Temperatures have tumbled since Friday, when a high of 25.4C was recorded at both Heathrow Airport and Kew Gardens in London – meaning parts of southern England were hotter than Tenerife.

But they look set to rise again towards Saturday, when highs of 22C are forecast in London and parts of southern England.

The Met Office said the weather would stay largely dry for many towards the weekend, but that conditions were then set to become more unsettled and windy.

As low pressure built, there was an increasing chance of heavy showers and longer spells of rain, with thunderstorms possible on Saturday.