Summery judgment required as sun makes late but welcome appearance

The wettest summer on record has seen a string of events cancelled and cost tourism millions this year, with very little sun having been seen during June, July and August.

The picture was replicated across the region, with weekend events enjoying high temperatures and warm weather.

However, the hot spell does not appear to be set to last, with rainfall predicted for Yorkshire this week, heralding more autumnal conditions.

Conditions today are set to remain bright in places but otherwise mostly cloudy. A Met Office spokesperson said: “Outbreaks of rain will mainly affect western parts through the day, before spreading southeast later in the evening.”

The weather will turn gradually more breezy and cooler with a maximum temperature of 20C.

The spokesperson added: “Tuesday will be breezy with sunny spells and showers, some heavy and thundery.

“Wednesday will be windy with a spell of rain while Thursday will remain windy and rather cloudy with rain likely at times.”

The picture is set to replicated across the rest of England, with summertime looking increasingly likely to end for most parts as the evenings grow darker and cooler.

Many of the summer’s festivals have been washed out but more than 50,000 revellers enjoyed a weekend of music and sunshine at the last major festival of the year at Bestival on the Isle of Wight, headlined by Florence and the Machine, New Order and Stevie Wonder.

Revellers at the event yesterday donned fancy dress for its famous carnival parade which took the theme of wildlife.

A survey yesterday showed September holiday bookings are booming as people who put up with a dismal British summer so they would not miss out on the Olympics take late breaks.

Britons are expected to make 5.7 million trips abroad this month, according to foreign exchange company Travelex. Around a quarter of those polled said they were taking late breaks as they did not want to miss the Olympics. The most sought-after destination for those getting away in September is Spain, with Egypt and Turkey also popular.

Indian summer brings show crowds: Page 7; Full forecast: Back Page.