Windy weather to sweep across the UK on polling day

Winds of up to 40mph are set to hit the UK as voters head to polling stations, the Met Office has said.

Showers are also expected across west and northwest Scotland, northwest England and across Northern Ireland on Thursday, according to the forecaster.

Southeast England will experience the brightest, warmest weather with areas around London expected to reach temperatures of up to 22C.

Chillier weather is predicted further north with most of the day’s rainfall expected in northwest Scotland, the forecaster said.

Liam Eslick, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “It’s going to be quite a windy day across much of the UK.

“The strongest winds are going to be towards Northern Ireland, the western parts of Scotland and northern England – so we could see winds getting up to around 35, maybe even possibly 40mph, especially around the coasts of Scotland.

“It’s going to be a windy day for most people but it is going to be bright for central and southern England as well as Wales.”

He added: “Where you are out of the wind, it will feel rather warm and even pleasant in the sunshine as well, but the further north you go – it is going to be quite chilly and fresh day for many.”

Voter turnout is not generally affected by weather conditions, records suggest.

According to the Parliament website, despite the last general election in 2019 being the wettest since records began in 1931, turnout was actually higher (67.3%) than in 2001 (59.4%) and 2005 (61.4%) when polling day fell in June and May respectively.