Britain is colder than Finland this weekend as the nation braces for a week of rain and thunderstorms when pubs finally reopen indoors from May 17.
The UK faces thundery showers and below average temperatures with the unsettled weather conditions set to blight the nation for the rest of May, according to the Met Office.
The bleak forecast comes as a yellow weather warning for persistent heavy rain is in place in the south west of England.
Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said: ‘Essentially the set-up in weather that we’ve got at the moment is set to remain for the foreseeable future.’
He said the UK has seen 53.6mm of rain up to May 11 – 77 per cent of the month’s average total.
BBC weather presenter Matt Taylor added: ‘It’s even warmer in Finland than it is here in the UK where temperatures are well down on where they should be for this stage in the month.
‘And to go with that cool feel there’s more rain in the forecast this afternoon and particularly tomorrow with some nasty thundery downpour expected.’
Fortunately pubgoers won’t have to wear their beer jackets for too much longer, with around 45,000 pubs estimated to reopen inside on Monday, serving over three million pints, when lockdown is further eased.
Visitors wearing waterproof jackets and carrying umbrellas brave the heavy rain showers as they walk along the seafront at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on Saturday
A steward stands in the rain prior to the Premier League match at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton today. The bleak forecast comes as a yellow weather warning for persistent heavy rain is in place in the south west of England
People sit under umbrellas and blankets on a cold and wet Saturday as they go for a punt on the River Cam in Cambridge while the soggy weather continues throughout the weekend
Mr Claydon said: ‘It’s really hard to speak for the rest of the month. We’ve had some heavy rain in certain parts of the UK that may have contributed to that total significantly, so to assess how that’s going to play out across the rest of the month is quite tricky.’
The Met Office long-range forecast from May 17 to May 26 warns it will ‘most likely be remaining unsettled throughout the period’, adding: ‘The north will perhaps see the best of any more settled weather, with the south most likely to see the bulk of showers and thunderstorms and any longer spells of more persistent rain.
‘It’s likely to be breezy at times, especially around coastal areas in the south and west of the country.
‘Temperatures will be near to or slightly below average, with the best of any warmer spells in the south east, and with the formation of any overnight frosts becoming less likely.’
Bookmaker Coral has cut the odds on this summer being the UK’s wettest since records began to just 2-1 from 5-1.
The bookie’s spokesman Harry Aitkenhead said: ‘This soaking wet May is not giving us much hope for a dry summer, so much so that we have now slashed the odds on this summer being the UK’s wettest ever.
People sit with their hoods up and under blankets on a cold and wet Saturday as they go for a punt on the River Cam. The Met Office long-range forecast from May 17 to May 26 warns it will ‘most likely be remaining unsettled throughout the period’
People laugh and pose for the camera as they sit under umbrellas and blankets while going for a punt on the River Cam as the bad weather continues across Britain
People sit under umbrellas and wear rainproof clothing as they go for a punt on the River Cam today. Bookmaker Coral has cut the odds on this summer being the UK’s wettest since records began to just 2-1 from 5-1
Two people sit underneath an umbrella during a punt on the River Cam today. Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said: ‘Essentially the set-up in weather that we’ve got at the moment is set to remain for the foreseeable future.’
Visitors wearing waterproof jackets and carrying umbrellas brave the heavy rain showers as they walk along the seafront at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on Saturday
‘This month is already firmly odds-on to enter the record books as the wettest May we have ever had.’
It comes as the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) welcomes hospitality venues being allowed to reopen for service indoors from May 17, but said they will still face heavy restrictions such as social distancing and table service only.
The BBPA said it believes around 2,000 pubs – 5 per cent of the total – will remain closed despite indoor reopening.
The trade body predicted that beer sales for Monday will be 65 per cent, or 1.6million pints, lower than a normal Monday pre-pandemic, which it warned is below the break-even point for most pubs.
Ground staff bring on the covers as rain delays play during Day Three of the LV= Insurance County Championship match between Somerset and Surrey at The Cooper Associates County Ground on Saturday in Taunton
Ground staff seen bringing on the covers in Taunton. BBC weather presenter Matt Taylor said: ‘It’s even warmer in Finland than it is here in the UK where temperatures are well down on where they should be for this stage in the month’
Volunteers get a training station during the rain on the empty platform during Steam Weekend on the Watercress line in New Alresford, Hampshire, on Saturday
A man stands in the rain while waiting at a stall during the steam weekend at Alresford Station in Hampshire
The Watercress Line’s Urie S15 No. 506 leaves the station during the steam weekend, as the soggy weather continues across the UK today
The Government has been urged to commit to lifting all restrictions as planned on June 21, including removal of social distancing and allowing bar service to resume.
BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said: ‘After some questionable weather during the last week or so, we know Brits are looking forward to being back inside the pub once more.
‘Our pubs have been preparing for this Monday over the last couple of months. We expect 45,000 pubs to open across the UK and three million pints to be served on Monday alone.
‘However, that is 1.6 million pints less than what they would have sold on a typical Monday before the pandemic. This is because 2,000 pubs will still remain closed and pubs that do open are limited in their sales by table service and no standing drinking.
‘This is by no means the end of the crisis for our sector. We need pubs fully reopened without any restrictions at all on June 21 if they are to survive and trade viably.’