Brits who are staying in the UK this May half term could enjoy better weather than those jetting away to popular holiday destinations, the Met Office has explained. Last week northern Italy was hit by severe floods following heavy rainfall, while thunderstorm warnings were issued for parts of Spain.
Rain showers have been forecast by the Met Office for destinations including Malaga and Ibiza in the coming days as the unsettled weather remains in the Mediterranean. However, if you’re staying in Greater Manchester this half term you can expect mainly sunny days and highs of 21C.
It may seem surprising that the Mediterranean is being hit with rain and thunderstorms, while the UK enjoys more settled conditions, but the Met Office has explained that the wet weather further south is a consequence of the area of high pressure covering the UK right now.
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Grahame Madge, spokesperson for the Met Office, told the MEN: “The fine weather we’re experiencing here in the UK and the unsettled weather affecting southern Europe is actually linked. The high pressure has brought fine and settled weather here which is set to continue into next week.
“This high pressure causes a build up of humid air and moisture and we would expect this to form thunderstorms and intense rainfall, which can happen during the summer. This system is being pushed further south causing heavy showers to develop, so the recent rainfall experienced in countries like Italy and Croatia is almost a consequence of what we’ve got here.
“Parts of the Mediterranean have experienced extreme weather in the last few weeks, with torrential downpours occurring which can be quite hazardous, leading to flash flooding.
“The North West will see temperatures in the low 20s next week, which is what we would expect for this time of year. Obviously this can change from day to day with some cloud cover but it will be fine and settled. We’re not saying it will be a complete washout if you’re going abroad, but there could be intense showers.”
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