Rain and thunderstorms forecast for Reading Festival weekend
Developing story first seen 54 minutes ago
The latest update on the August bank holiday weekend focuses on further unsettled weather forecast for Sunday and Monday, with the Met Office warning of scattered showers, potential hail and thunder affecting festival sites and events across the UK. Showers were expected to spread from Scotland and Northern Ireland southwards into England during Sunday, with Leeds Festival, Reading Festival and Notting Hill Carnival all likely to see rain turning heavier and more thundery into the evening, before drier, brighter conditions return on Monday. This follows RAYE's historic first festival headline slot at Reading Festival on 29 August, a milestone that built on her acclaimed debut at the event two years earlier.
Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick said Sunday would start mostly dry before turning showery, with temperatures in the low 20s, while Monday should bring fewer heavy thundery showers and temperatures in the early 20s, though a waterproof was still advised. Nine areas were under Environment Agency flood alerts as of Saturday night, a marked shift after a summer of five heatwaves and record highs of 38.1C in London. Sunday's Notting Hill Carnival, marking its 60th anniversary, was expected to draw large crowds onto the streets despite the unsettled conditions, following a quieter Saturday dominated by the Panorama steelband competition.
- Met Office forecasts showers, hail and thunder for Sunday's bank holiday events
- Reading, Leeds Festival and Notting Hill Carnival all face rain risk into evening
- Nine flood alerts issued after summer's record heat gives way to unsettled weather
New here? Start with this
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.
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