Met office predict rainy August in West Midlands
The Met Office has dashed hopes that holiday-makers choosing a “staycation” in the West Midlands would enjoy warm weather, predicting a rainy August instead.
A seasonal forecast issued in April sparked dreams of a warm and sunny British summer with claims that the UK was “odds on for a barbecue summer”.
But in an update published on the Met Office website yesterday, forecasters said that “for the rest of summer, rainfall is likely to be near or above average over the UK and much of northern Europe”.
Over the weekend, the weather in the West Midlands is predicted to be sunny with occasional showers though Saturday is likely to be a wash-out – bad news for cricket fans heading to Edgbaston for the third Ashes test.
The gloomy outlook has already caused hundreds of families to book last-minute getaways to the Mediterranean which is currently experiencing a heatwave with temperatures in the 40s.
A spokesman for ABTA, the travel association, said some of its members had reported a 30 per cent increase in business during the past two weeks.
But added that the cooler climes of Britain could also attract tourists hoping to escape the scorching sun.
