August bank holiday Monday weather: what to expect

Legions of Brits are set to take to the nation's beaches, backyards and beer gardens on Monday to celebrate the final public holiday of the summer, and the last before Christmas. But the question, as ever, is will it be sunny?

The North and East of the country are more likely to feel an early autumn chill, and run the biggest risk of seeing a rainy bank holiday. Even the South will not be totally immune to the possibility of showers, and may see some storms.

The good news, however, is that the more settled weather of the long weekend is expected to continue into the following week, raising hopes of an Indian summer.

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In the capital, there's an extra reason for the party-minded to pray for sunshine – London's Notting Hill Carnival, a summer institution since 1966, will be taking place on Sunday and bank holiday Monday.

Somewhere in the region of one million people will be gathering for the annual celebration of West Indian culture, food and music. According to the BBC, carnival-goers can expect a warm weekend, with highs of 22 degrees Celsius, but should also be prepared for showers.

The late-August bank holiday is usually the busiest of the year for travellers and, as ever, the RAC has issued a statement urging those planning a long weekend away or day trip to research their routes and timings in advance and avoid adding to congestion where possible.