0:00:02 > 0:00:05October to March across the UK was the driest for 20 years.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07April was also very dry.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Now, the figures for May for all but the last two days from
0:00:10 > 0:00:14the Met Office shows it's again been dry across the north and west of
0:00:14 > 0:00:18the UK, but a different story for the south-east and eastern England,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21where we've had average if not above average rainfall for
0:00:21 > 0:00:24the month, mainly because we've had plumes of warm air bringing
0:00:24 > 0:00:28thundery rain, just as we had over the bank holiday weekend.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32That plume of bank holiday rain is pushed away and instead now
0:00:32 > 0:00:34we're seeing high pressure building across the UK.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36It's introduced some cooler,
0:00:36 > 0:00:38fresher air from the Midlands northward, so a more comfortable
0:00:38 > 0:00:41night for sleeping and lots of sunshine on the way on Wednesday.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Further south, across southern parts of England and into Wales,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46there will be more cloud. That will break up,
0:00:46 > 0:00:49though there could be one or two isolated light showers.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50Most places are going to have a dry day,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53nice day for the end of may with some sunshine around,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57and if anything, temperatures will be higher than they were on Tuesday,
0:00:57 > 0:00:58particularly inland.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01High pressure, then, sitting across the UK on Wednesday.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05It does tend to get bumped away slowly towards the east by
0:01:05 > 0:01:07a big area of low pressure filling the Atlantic
0:01:07 > 0:01:09and this approaching weather front.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10That's sitting there for a while,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13and whilst it's doing that it's scooping up this warm air
0:01:13 > 0:01:17from the near continent, so we'll find temperatures continuing to rise
0:01:17 > 0:01:20on Thursday and perhaps into Friday as well.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22The band of rain moves into Northern Ireland,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25into Western Scotland. Eastern Scotland may well stay dry,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28and across England and Wales, with some sunshine, those temperatures
0:01:28 > 0:01:32are continuing to rise, so mid-20s in the south-east, for example.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36You can see how slowly this band of rain moves across Scotland
0:01:36 > 0:01:37and Northern Ireland,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40only into westernmost parts of England and Wales on Friday.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Central and eastern areas, it's dry,
0:01:42 > 0:01:44those temperatures continuing to rise.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46We could see a few thundery downpours clipping
0:01:46 > 0:01:48the south-east, though, later on in the day.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51That should get washed away, though, for this weekend.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53We're going to be left with some sunny spells,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56a scattering of showers and probably a slightly cooler
0:01:56 > 0:02:00and fresher feel, particularly across the south-east of the UK.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02The fly in the ointment is that weather front which is
0:02:02 > 0:02:05continuing to push slowly towards the south-east overnight into
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Saturday morning, and there's still the threat of some rain
0:02:09 > 0:02:11just clipping that south-eastern corner of England.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Not far away, there will be some thunderstorms.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16That should clear away, that's how it looks at the moment,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18and generally we're into this slightly cooler,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22fresher air with some sunshine and a scattering of showers,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25the main focus of the showers more towards the north-west.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Now, for the second half of the weekend there are three areas
0:02:28 > 0:02:30of low pressure close by -
0:02:30 > 0:02:33none of them right over the UK but still the air is going to be
0:02:33 > 0:02:37unstable enough so that we will generate some showers.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39But there will be some good spells of sunshine,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41some of the showers could be on the heavy side, and we're going
0:02:41 > 0:02:44to find temperatures 14 in Glasgow,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47perhaps as high as 20 in London.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Now, early next week we've got an area of high pressure that
0:02:50 > 0:02:55extends from Biscay across the south-east of the UK,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57but an area of low pressure is approaching from the Atlantic,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00starting to push in some stronger winds and some rain as well.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Now, as we move further into next week,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05the high pressure looks like it will start to push further north,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08so the centres of the low pressure will also track
0:03:08 > 0:03:12a little bit further north, steered of course by the jet stream.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14So, what does that all mean as we head into next week?
0:03:14 > 0:03:18It means that it's the north-west of the UK that's more likely to be
0:03:18 > 0:03:21somewhat cooler, windier and also wetter.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25The south-east of the UK will see the driest and the warmest weather,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27particularly when the sun is out.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29That's it from me, goodbye.