A hailstorm swept London on Wednesday morning, sending temperatures plunging across the capital and drenching a day that had barely started. Sir Keir Starmer and Lady Victoria were caught in the storm while travelling from 10 Downing Street to the House of Lords for the State Opening of Parliament.
The Met Office said London would hover around 12C for much of Wednesday, and the capital was colder than Helsinki and Oslo even though both cities sit farther north. That sharp chill made the morning feel more like late winter than mid-May, a striking turn for a city that was heading into a spell of warmer weather.
London is expected to reach 14C on Thursday and 15C on Friday, before highs of 24C arrive from Thursday, May 21, to Saturday, May 23. Temperatures are then expected to stay above 20C into the following week, just as many London schools enter May half-term.
The contrast is the story. London moved from hail and cold on Wednesday to a forecast that points to summer-like warmth within days, leaving commuters, families and school schedules to absorb one of the fastest swings of the season. For anyone checking london weather today, the answer is simple: the capital started cold, but the warmer stretch is close and it looks set to last.
