Rain and thunderstorms forecast for Reading Festival weekend
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Festivalgoers across the UK faced a washout August bank holiday weekend, with the Met Office warning of scattered showers, hail and thunder continuing into Sunday and Monday at events including Reading Festival, Leeds Festival and Notting Hill Carnival. The unsettled weather followed a wet Friday and Saturday during which attendees at Reading Festival were pictured wading through mud in ponchos, while heavy rain also disrupted Notting Hill Carnival's 60th anniversary celebrations, which began with the traditional Panorama steelband competition on Saturday before larger crowds were expected on Sunday.
Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick said Sunday would start mostly dry, with early showers concentrated in Scotland and Northern Ireland, before spreading south and turning heavier and thundery by early afternoon, particularly around Leeds Festival; Reading Festival and Notting Hill Carnival were forecast to stay largely dry until showers picked up from around 7-8pm, with temperatures in the low 20s. Monday was expected to be drier and brighter overall, though some heavy showers were still likely in western areas and northern Scotland, with highs in the early 20s. Nine Environment Agency flood alerts were in place as of Saturday night, and the wet spell followed a run of hot, dry conditions that has put the UK on course for its hottest summer on record, with temperatures reaching 38.1C in London.
- Showers, hail and thunder disrupted Reading, Leeds and Notting Hill Carnival over the bank holiday
- Sunday saw rain spread from Scotland southwards, worsening into the evening
- Monday brought drier, brighter weather despite lingering showers and flood alerts
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Rain and thunderstorms are forecast to sweep across parts of the UK over the August bank holiday weekend, a busy period for major outdoor events including Leeds Festival, Reading Festival and Notting Hill Carnival. The Met Office has been tracking a spell of unsettled weather moving south from Scotland and Northern Ireland, bringing showers, hail and thunder to sites that expect large crowds. This matters because it affects safety, comfort and planning for hundreds of thousands of festival-goers and carnival attendees at events that are normally associated with late-summer sunshine.
The weather warning follows an unusually hot and dry summer for much of the UK, with several heatwaves and a record temperature of 38.1C recorded in London, making the sudden shift to heavy rain and flood alerts a notable change. Reading Festival has also drawn attention this year for RAYE becoming the first woman to headline the event in her own right, while Notting Hill Carnival is marking its 60th anniversary, adding extra significance to how the weather might affect turnout and enjoyment.
Full account
Festival crowds across the UK are being warned to pack waterproofs as forecasters predict a mixed and increasingly unsettled bank holiday weekend, with showers, hail and the risk of thunder threatening Reading Festival, Leeds Festival and Notting Hill Carnival. According to the Met Office, Sunday will bring a blend of sunshine and rain that develops through the day, following a Saturday in which many festivalgoers had already resorted to ponchos to cope with muddy conditions.
Meteorologist Honor Criswick said scattered showers were expected to begin over Scotland and Northern Ireland on Sunday morning before tracking south into England, turning heavier and more thundery in places, particularly around Leeds Festival during the early afternoon. Reading Festival and Notting Hill Carnival were forecast to fare somewhat better for much of the day, with only occasional showers expected until conditions deteriorate in the evening, roughly from 7pm or 8pm onwards, when downpours could again turn heavy and thundery. The South East was tipped to stay largely dry until evening, with temperatures generally sitting in the low twenties. Nine Environment Agency flood alerts were in place across England as of Saturday night, reflecting the wider risk of surface water and disruption, and the unsettled spell follows a recent run of hot weather.
Monday's outlook is somewhat brighter, according to the forecast, with drier conditions and more sunny spells expected overall, though scattered showers – some heavy, mainly across western areas and northern Scotland – will still be possible. Temperatures are expected to reach the early twenties, and forecasters advised revellers to keep waterproofs to hand even as the weather generally improves. The rain comes as Notting Hill Carnival marks its 60th anniversary since starting in 1966, with Saturday's calmer Panorama steelband competition giving way to what are expected to be much larger crowds on the streets on Sunday.
Amid the unsettled weather, Reading Festival delivered a landmark moment on Saturday night as RAYE headlined the event for the first time, closing out the Grid stage after a co-headline set from Dave. The South London singer, who first played Reading two years earlier to critical acclaim, opened with her 2022 breakout hit 'Escapism' before drawing on both of her albums, 'My 21st Century Blues' and the Mercury-nominated 'This Music May Contain Hope', across a set spanning pop, soul, jazz and dance. Backed by her regular horn and string sections, she led the crowd in an emotional singalong during 'I Know You're Hurting', brought out her sisters Amma and Absolutely for 'Joy', and closed with 'Where Is My Husband?'. The performance builds on a breakthrough couple of years for RAYE, including her record haul of six prizes at the 2024 BRIT Awards.
Where outlets differ
Source 2 (weather report) centres on the Met Office forecast and treats Reading Festival as one of several affected events alongside Leeds Festival and Notting Hill Carnival, giving little attention to individual performances.
Source 1 (NME-style music report) focuses almost entirely on RAYE's historic headline set and setlist, barely referencing the weather beyond a passing mention of muddy, rainy conditions in an accompanying photo caption.
Source 2 provides specific meteorological detail (timings, temperatures, flood alerts) that source 1 does not cover at all.
Source 1 includes extensive biographical and career context on RAYE (BRIT Awards, Montreux Jazz Festival, upcoming acting role) that is entirely absent from the weather-focused source.
Coverage
- NME — Here’s everything RAYE played in her Reading 2026 headline set
- Daily Mail — Revellers told to brace for more mixes of sunshine and showers – as Reading Festival wraps up and Notting Hill Carnival hits the streets