There are several reasons why you might want to visit the United Kingdom on holiday. The history of the country is one of them. Sport might be another. The weather probably wouldn't feature on your list. For all of its charms and appeals, the United Kingdom (and England in particular) is known for the amount of rain that falls on it and the fact that it can be cold even in the middle of summer.
With the exception of the country's south coast, you can expect the average temperature to remain staunchly below sixty degrees Fahrenheit. It gets warm enough to go outside in short sleeves, shorts or skirts, but you'll rarely wake up in the morning and think, "it's beach weather today." That makes heatwaves very exciting for the British public - and there’s one on the way!
According to long-range weather forecasts, temperatures in the UK will reach 69 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of April, with the good weather continuing into the first week of May and perhaps even a week beyond that. It looks like hot air blown across the Atlantic is going to bring tropical heat that's worthy of the popular online slots game of the same name. Perhaps that's the best metaphor for the British weather. In much the same way, you never know what's going to happen next when you press the "spin" button on the online slots site Rose Slots NZ, you never know what the weather in the UK is going to do next either. It’s perfectly conceivable that it might be hailing one day and baking hot the next. That means going outdoors without a coat is generally as big a gamble as any online slots player ever takes, only you might get wet rather than rich at the end of it!
As a perfect example of what we’re talking about, the country is set to have a frosty final few days of April before the good weather kicks in at the very end of the month. By Wednesday 28th April, even northern cities like Manchester are expected to see temperatures reach 62 degrees Fahrenheit. This might not count as a heatwave in many other places in the world - in fact, it would be considered disappointingly cold by Floridian standards - but this might be as warm as it gets all year in England, where summer months are often disappointing. The heat is forecast to stick around through into the second week of May but will have fallen to an average of fifty-nine degrees Fahrenheit in London by May 10th. The same forecast that predicts the heatwave also predict that there will be rain around too, but that's par for the course in the UK. If a week went by without any rain, people would probably start to panic!
Even with a little rain featuring on the forecast, May is expected to be dry by British standards. There's an outside chance that high pressure might drift away from the country in the middle of the month and allow a strengthening of the storm track, but that's far from guaranteed. If anywhere in the country is likely to suffer, it will be the northeast of England around the city of Newcastle. Gale-force winds and rain are showing on the map for somewhere around Sunday, May 16th. Even then, it’s likely to remain warmer on average than it normally would be for this time of year.
As always, we should take long-range forecasts with a pinch of salt. While several of the forecasts say that good weather will take one to two weeks to arrive, the UK's Met Office is more optimistic. It believes that a heatwave might kick in earlier than the very end of the month, albeit one with very slightly lower average temperatures. They're forecasting 68 degrees Fahrenheit by the middle of April's final week, but then a drop away to normal temperatures by Tuesday, May 4th. They also feel that coastal regions are unlikely to feel the benefit of the higher temperatures because of high winds, although those living inland should definitely feel warmer than usual.
All of this is good news for Brits as they slowly move closer to a return to normal life after the misery of the 2020 pandemic. Social distancing conditions in the country mean that pubs and restaurants remain closed indoors and will remain so until the middle of May. Venues with "beer gardens" and outside heating, however, are allowed to serve both food and drink to paying customers. Presuming the heatwave arrives and sticks around for a while, this will be excellent news for both bar owners and bar patrons. The owners have a year's worth of lost income to catch up on, and the patrons have a year's worth of socialising to get back to! A little rain and cold weather doesn't put most hardy Brits off the idea of visiting a beer garden at the best of times, but a spate of hot weather should mean there are a few bumper weekends on the card.
It's not all about food and drink, of course. While there are still travel restrictions in place across the country, it's permitted to go outdoors and exercise, socialise, and otherwise enjoy yourself in the country's coastal regions. Expect to see pictures of packed beaches in places like Blackpool, Brighton, and Bournemouth as Brits head to the coast to catch the first "proper" sun of the year. National parks are equally likely to be busy, as is just about anywhere that offers outdoor entertainment. If we presume the forecasts are correct, the message to Brits appears to be, "go out and enjoy yourselves while you can." There's no guarantee that these temperatures will be repeated in June or July, and it would be a shame to miss out on them! Fortunately, the heatwave coincides with a "Bank Holiday" weekend - one of several national holidays in the UK where people aren't expected to work on the Monday that follows the weekend. That allows for a few potential weekend getaways - and probably some sore heads on Monday after spending too much time in the beer gardens, too!
