Heatwave? More a case of Manchester than Malaga

Stash the flipflops and cover up the barbecue . . . the promised weekend heatwave has been cancelled.
Weather: Sunbathe while you can - cloud is to move inWeather: Sunbathe while you can - cloud is to move in
Weather: Sunbathe while you can - cloud is to move in

Weathermen who predicted a scorcher for Lancashire tomorrow and Sunday have now blown a dark cloud across the county by admitting their sizzling forecast was perhaps a touch premature.

And in Preston, now officially the wettest city in England, we may even get some rain - for a change.

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After one of the chilliest Mays for many a year, the headline writers were this week basking in talk of a hot spell of Mediterranean proportions, beginning today.

The mercury was expected to soar to 28C in the south of the country - and not much lower in the north - courtesy of a plume of hot air heading up from the Continent and the Azores. Summer, said the forecasters, was ready to start at long last, with Britain hotter than Spain and the South of France by this afternoon.

Sadly the predictions appear to have come from the same source as those two months ago which had the UK heading for its “hottest-ever” spring.

The revised forecast for this weekend, issued by the Met Office, appears dull by comparison.

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Today was expected to be the warmest day in Central Lancashire, with the thermometer only reaching a maximum of 17C. Cloud was set to be the main feature, with a possibility of spits and spots of rain mid-afternoon. Saturday will only reach 14C, with a sunny morning and cloud appearing in the afternoon. On Sunday a mix of cloud and sun could mean temperatures of just 13C.

“Although things will be a good deal warmer than of late, there still remains considerable uncertainty about how hot it will be,” said meteorologist Martin Young.