Overview

• The UK's unusually dry and sunny spring, driven by a blocking high-pressure system since February, is giving way to unsettled weather.
• Atlantic systems are set to bring heavy rain, strong winds, and possible thunderstorms starting Friday evening and continuing through the Bank Holiday weekend.
• Unseasonably cold nights with frost are forecast for Thursday and Friday, followed by a marked drop in temperatures over the weekend.
• Environmental agencies warn of heightened drought concerns despite the incoming rain, as the UK faces one of its driest springs on record.
• A brief mini-heatwave is anticipated to arrive in early June, with southeastern England expected to see temperatures around 24-25°C.