UK weather

Whilst many of us may be pleased that the warmth and sunshine has arrived, it's important not to forget that southern and eastern parts of England are still officially in drought.

Most of us have been bathed in warmth and sunshine this week, with an area of high pressure across the UK, but will it continue this weekend?

It's been a long wait, but finally some notable warmth and sunshine will grace our shores this week - welcome news for those of us who are a little jaded by the wind and rain.

The British weather is notorious for its variability and many will be hoping that it doesn't dampen spirits too much as the Olympic torch relay gets underway this weekend.

Rain, rain and more rain has been on the weather menu for the past six weeks. April was the wettest on record in the UK and May has continued in similar vein.

Tropical storm Aletta has become the first named storm of the eastern Pacific hurricane season, growing from a tropical disturbance that formed on 12 May around 500 miles south west of Mexico.

The British weather is well know for being fickle and full of contrasts, and this was certainly evident on Sunday, with one end of the UK experiencing very different weather from the other.

We've just had the wettest April on record and May has most definitely picked up where April left off, with further spells of wind and rain as low pressure piles in off the Atlantic.

An area of low pressure brought wind and rain followed by some thunderstorms which spawned suspected tornadoes over the south Midlands.