Sunshine and showers forecast for Easter bank holiday weekend

Bank holiday weekend will be mixture of sunshine and showers for most of the UK while south-west England should brace for heavy downpours, forecasters have said.

A yellow warning for a “prolonged spell of rain” has been issued for Good Friday in south-west England by the Met Office, meaning difficult driving conditions with some disruption to travel likely.

The warning, affecting Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, is in place from Friday at 6pm through to Saturday at 9am during which up to 75mm of rain could fall.

Residents have been advised by the forecaster that flooding of some homes and business is possible, along with longer journey times for travellers.

The downpours may also be accompanied by “windy” conditions, the Met Office added.

This comes after a flood warning was issued earlier this week in Devon following a night of heavy rain in the county.

Mark Garratt, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Heavy rain and showers mean that minor surface water flooding is probable across parts of south-west England on Friday and into Saturday.

“Environment Agency teams will be out on the ground and supporting local authorities in responding to surface water flooding.

“We urge people not to drive though flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.”

People are able to sign up for flood alerts on the Government website and keep up to date through following @EnvAgency on X, he advised.

Elsewhere, southern and eastern England will see some “fine weather with some sunshine” on Good Friday while most of the showers are expected to be confined to western areas, the Met Office said in an online forecast.

The southeast England will enjoy the highest temperatures of the day of up to 18C.

On Saturday, “showery bursts” are likely across southern England with “a bit of a breeze” and some “fine weather” further north and east, Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said.

“You’ll find that showery rain tends to sort of wax and wane as we head through the day, but still a fair amount of cloud here,” she added.

Highs of 16C are expected on Saturday in southern England, followed by lows of around freezing that night.

Lighter wind with some “fine weather” and a “mix of sunshine and cloud” are forecast on Easter Sunday, with highs of 16C in London, 11C in Edinburgh and 15C in Cardiff, the Met Office said.

On Monday, more “unsettled” weather is expected, with outbreaks of rain and showers focused in the south and west, according to the weather service.

Central and southeastern England are expected to see the warmest temperatures of the day of around 19C.

Tourism authority VisitEngland estimates that around 10.6 million British adults are planning to take a holiday in the UK over the bank holiday period.

As holidaymakers prepare for the long weekend, train passengers have been warned about disruption as Network Rail prepares to begin engineering work.

The Government-owned company said it will carry out work on more than 300 projects across Britain between Good Friday and bank holiday Monday, causing a number of lines to be closed.

The most significant impact will be at London Euston – the UK’s 10th busiest railway station – which will have no services to or from Milton Keynes on Saturday and Easter Sunday, and a reduced timetable on Good Friday and Monday.

That is because of work including renewals of overhead electric lines and drainage improvements.

Meanwhile, travel trade organisation Abta said approximately 2.2 million Britons will head overseas during the long weekend, with Good Friday being the busiest day for travel.