Hands up who guessed the weather would remain dry so far for The Hoppings? To everyone's delight the weather proved unexpectedly good for the arrival of the fair so families will be eager to find out how long our luck will last.
With the stage set, rides ready for action and excitement is building ahead of The Hoppings' big opening day on Friday, June 17, it seemed the only potential spoiler could be the weather. But its welcome proved warm all round.
As regulars know, the travelling funfair has experienced all extremes of weather over the years from deluges which have turned its Newcastle Town Moor site into a muddy bog to heatwaves which have made its annual outing a highlight of the summer. And after recent changeable conditions - including rainstorms and winds then some warmth at last too - people didn't know what to expect for The Hoppings' on its return for the first time since the pandemic.
READ MORE: The Hoppings 2022 opening times as funfair comes back to Newcastle
But all eyes remain on the forecast. We know how quickly conditons can change so we'll be making it our business to find out what the most up-to-date weather predictions throughout The Hoppings' run this week.
The fair, which has an array of rides, will be open daily from 12noon until 10pm until June 25. Car parks open 30 minutes before the event starts. To help with preparations for a visit, here is the Met Office's early forecast for the fair and we'll be updating it daily so keep watching this space.
Opening day - Friday - guess what - those initial forecasts of sun to greet the return of The Hoppings on June 17 have now changed and it's due to be cloudy for its lunch-time opening and throughout the rest of the day, until about 9pm when the elusive sun is due to finally show its face. But the temperature is set to rise to a whopping 23C and the chance of rain is just 5% so all in all that's a pretty good start.
Saturday - conditions for the start of the weeked are due to be much the same as Friday as we're back to a forecast of cloud for day two of the fair but still just a low chance - 10% - of rain. The temperature should start off at about 16C at 1pm, although it will feel about three degrees cooler, and it will rise just a smidgen before dropping off in the evening and feeling rather chilly. Wind speeds are expected to get up to around 26mph mid-afternoon so they're not ideal conditions but it could be a lot worse.
Sunday - Good news! Current updates suggest the sun will be making a comeback, albeit a bit later in the day. After a cloudy start, there will be sunny intervals from around 4pm and then full-on sun around 7pm for the evening fair-goers to enjoy. And there is still just a low chance - 10% - of rain. The temperature should start off at about 15C at 1pm, although it will feel a degree or two cooler, and it will drop off just a smidgen in the evening. Wind speeds are expected to be around 22mph at first, falling about 17-18mph then 11mph by closing time.
Monday - Bring it on! The week will start off well, with sunny intervals due to make a return on June 20 and then plenty of sunshine from around 7pm and a clear night to follow. Temperatures will be around 18-17 degrees and risk of rain is low at 5%.
Tuesday - The day will start off sunny, changing to cloud by the time the fair opens. Temperatures are pretty constant, around 18-17C mark but it will feel just a bit cooler than that. The threat of rain is still holding off, with just a 10% risk predicted, but it will be a bit windy with gusts of around 20mph.
Wednesday - This mid-week points sees a sunny day at the Town Moor - extending right through the afternoon and evening until closing time. Temperatures will hit highs of around 21 degrees, again feeling a little cooler than thatm but early forecasts of strong winds have come to naught. And still just a 5% chance of rain.
Thursday - Weather forecasters predict another sunny day, then sunny intervals changing to cloudy later and by the time fairgoers are back home and tucked up in bed. The sun will be out properly from noon when temperatures will be at their highest, about 22C. There will be some cloud from around 4pm. Chance of rain remains at 5% - 10% later evening - so that luck continues to hold.
Friday
After sunny intervals at the opening time of the fair, there is now due to be some thunder around 2pm and then 5pm. In between there will be some cloud and sunshine - and possibly showers - but it will remain warm. Those conditions will continue throughout the rest of the day and into the night. It should however feel warm enough at 19-20C so every cloud ... as the saying goes.
Saturday
This will be the last day of the fair and the final opportunity for a last whirl on the waltzer, dunch on the dodgem or a launch into the air on the likes of Mach 5. But, yes, you might just get a bit drizzled upon as there's just a small chance of light showers around 2pm in the afternoon. Before that the sun should be out in force about 1pm however. There will be sunny intervals during the fair's opening hours, clouding over about 5pm the improving again. Temperatures at their warmest will be around 19C-20C throughout the afternoon but it will feel about four degrees cooler than this and afternoon winds could reach 29mph. But remember there is still more of a chance that it won't rain at all and either way you'll be left with warm memories of The Hoppings' 2022 return.
Read Next
