Rain stops play at Wimbledon and dampens spirits at Henley
Rain has once again stopped play at Wimbledon and dampened spirits at the Henley Royal Regatta as warnings of weekend downpours have been issued for the UK.
Play has been delayed on day five of the famous Tennis championship in west London following torrential showers in the area this morning.
The start time for Friday’s matches was initially delayed until 12.15pm, but has now been pushed back even further as the wet weather continues to hammer down.
Fans at SW19 and Henley guests on the River Thames were spotted in waterproof ponchos and umbrellas as they scrabbled to find places to let their hoods down.
The Wimbledon club shop was jam-packed this morning with punters stocking up on umbrellas, with official brollies costing £55, while the smaller versions are priced at £24.
WIMBLEDON: Play has been delayed on day five of the famous Tennis championship in west London following torrential showers in the area
HENLEY-ON-THAMES: A woman walking through the heavy rain at the start of the fourth day of Day 4 Henley Royal Regatta
WIMBLEDON: Fans at SW19 were spotted in waterproof ponchos and umbrellas as they scrabbled to find places to let their hoods down
Rainfall has already caused massed disruption to this year’s grand slam and the forecast for continuous rain throughout today means it is unlikely that any play will take place on the outside courts.
However, supporters will not experience a complete washout, as the roofs on Centre Court and Court One will allow for at least six matches to take place regardless of the conditions.
Showers are also forecast for the rest of Britain on Friday, especially in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as large clouds dominate the skyline across the southern counties of England and Wales.
The Met Office says winds are generally lighter than yesterday making it a cooler day, whilst still feeling breezy around the coasts.
London will experience highs of 18C and Birmingham will hit 17C, while Glasgow and Belfast will be cooler at 15C and 14C.
Tonight, the rain will turn heavy across southern England and Wales, pushing northeastwards overnight. In the northwest, heavy showers will turn the area chilly under clearer skies.
According to the Met Office, the rest of the weekend appears to be a mixture of sunshine and showers in breezy and cool conditions for most of the country.
Some of the showers will be heavy at times with the risk of hail and thunder, especially in Northern Scotland, which has been placed under a yellow warning for heavy rain.
This means flooding of a few homes and business is possible, while journey times for motorists and public transport users will be increased due to water pooling on roads and train tracks.
Some of this weekend’s showers will be heavy at times with the risk of hail and thunder, especially in Northern Scotland, which has been placed under a yellow warning for heavy rain
WIMBLEDON: Punters stocking up on official Wimbledon umbrellas, which cost £55, while the smaller versions are priced at £24
HENLEY-ON-THAMES: Crowds of regatta goers made their way to the fourth day of the event as it began to rain
WIMBLEDON: The start time for today’s matches was initially delayed until 12.15pm, but has now been pushed back even further as the wet weather continues to hammer down
WIMBLEDON: Rainfall has already caused massed disruption to this year’s grand slam and the forecast for continuous rain throughout today means it is unlikely that any play will take place on the outside courts
HENLEY-ON-THAMES: People arrive in their finery on the fourth day of the event along the River Thames in the rain
WIMBLEDON: Supporters will not experience a complete washout on Friday, as the roofs on Centre Court and Court One will allow for at least six matches to take place regardless of the conditions
WIMBELDON: Staff at the famous tennis club attempt to keep water of the court despite the torrential downpours
WIMBLEDON: According to the Met Office, the rest of the weekend appears to be a mixture of sunshine and showers
July has begun with a spell of cool and wet weather and Met Office predictions state that this is unlikely to change in the next seven days, with no signs of heatwave temperatures anywhere in the country.
Instead, a mixture of cloud, rain and sunny spells can be expected, with highs of around 16-17C and temperatures that may feel as low as 7C overnight.
It comes after provisional Met Office figures suggested June 2024 was a dry, cool and sunny month compared to the UK’s long-term average.
After Sunday (July 7), more mixed weather is predicted with ‘stronger winds at times’ and ‘tentative signs that further into next week, conditions may begin to gradually turn a bit more settled, at least for a time’.
Temperatures are then likely to ‘trend back up to average and then potentially above average as the week progresses.’
