UK weather: Wind and rain to batter Britain on first Friday of relaxed Covid rules

21 May 2021, 08:57

Heavy winds and rain are set to batter the UK on the first Friday people in England are allowed to meet outside in groups of up to 30 people.

Brits may need to put their plans on hold as winds of up to 45 mph are expected on Friday, accompanied by bouts of rain.

Thursday night saw extremely heavy winds, with the Needles off the Isle of Wight recording gusts of 85 mph.

There are yellow warnings for strong winds across Wales, East Anglia, southwest and southern England, running from 3pm on Thursday until 9pm on Friday night.

A yellow warning means that there will likely be some travel disruption, and damage to outdoor temporary structures is also possible.

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The weather has been very unsettled for May, with several areas of low pressure moving across the UK causing unseasonably low temperatures.

The highest temperature in Britain yesterday was 15.3 degrees in Chertsey, with Ravensworth in Yorkshire seeing a low of 0.7 degrees.

It comes just days after people in England were allowed to once again meet outside in groups of 30.

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As a result, the unsettled weather is likely to be a disappointment to many, with the current rules stating you can socialise inside in groups of up to six.

The wind will calm down over the weekend but temperatures will remain slightly below what Brits might expect in May.

Towards the end of next week things are forecast to improve, with temperatures in London expected to reach 16 degrees, accompanied by intervals of sun.