Revellers told to brace for more mixes of sunshine and showers – as Reading Festival wraps up and Notting Hill Carnival hits the streets
The Met Office has warned festivalgoers and revellers to expect a mixture of sunshine and showers, with the risk of hail and thunder, as Reading Festival draws to a close and Notting Hill Carnival gets under way over the bank holiday weekend. The unsettled conditions follow a bout of hot, dry weather that has put the UK on course for its hottest summer on record, and come after music fans were already drenched in mud and rain at festivals including Reading and Leeds on Friday and Saturday.
Scattered showers were forecast to affect Scotland and Northern Ireland first on Sunday before spreading south, potentially turning heavy and thundery around Leeds Festival by early afternoon, while Reading Festival and Notting Hill Carnival were expected to stay largely dry until showers arrive from around 7-8pm. Temperatures were expected to sit in the low twenties. Monday should be drier and brighter overall, though showers, some heavy, were still likely in western areas and northern Scotland, with highs in the early twenties. Nine areas were under Environment Agency flood alerts as of Saturday night, and this year's Notting Hill Carnival marks its 60th anniversary since starting in 1966.
- Showers, hail and thunder forecast as Reading Festival and Carnival continue
- Sunday wetter in the evening; Monday drier and brighter overall
- Notting Hill Carnival marks its 60th anniversary this year
New here? Start with this
Unsettled weather is nothing new for the UK's late-August bank holiday, which traditionally brings a cluster of major outdoor events, including Reading and Leeds Festivals and London's Notting Hill Carnival. Reading and Leeds are large music festivals held simultaneously on opposite sides of the country, drawing tens of thousands of campers and gig-goers, while Notting Hill Carnival is an annual street celebration of Caribbean culture in west London, one of the largest of its kind in the world.
The Met Office is the UK's national weather service, responsible for forecasts and warnings. This year's changeable conditions follow an unusually hot and dry summer that has kept much of the country on track for record temperatures, making the sudden shift to showers, hail and thunder notable for organisers and attendees planning for outdoor crowds.
The stakes go beyond comfort: heavy rain can affect safety and logistics at large gatherings, and the Environment Agency, the body that monitors and manages flood risk in England, had several flood alerts in place across the country as the weekend began. Notting Hill Carnival also carries added significance this year as it marks 60 years since it began in 1966.