‘Please take cover’: Leeds Festival makes plea as thunderstorms expected - hour-by-hour forecast
Yellow weather warnings are in place for Leeds today
Leeds Festival has urged music-lovers to “please take cover” as thunderstorms are expected.
The popular event is set to kick-off a day earlier with live music due to begin this evening (August 27). Kasabian will headline The Grid on this opening evening at Bramham Park.
However, the weather forecast is looking a bit gloomier for the first proper day of the festival. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms that covers the whole of Leeds until 10pm today.
In an alert sent out on both the festival’s official Instagram page and its own app earlier, festivalgoers are being urged to practice caution. Heavy rain is expected to fall over the coming hours.
The message from Leeds Festival reads: “There will be a thunderstorm in Leeds today. Please take cover where you can, including in your camping tents and avoid sheltering under trees.”
The Met Office warning said: “A broad band of thunderstorms and heavy rain will move north across England and Wales on Thursday, perhaps becoming slow moving in the afternoon and evening. Accumulations of 20-30 mm in an hour is possible locally, while 30 to 40 mm can be expected fairly widely and up to 50 mm in a 12 hour period in places.
“There is a small chance that some places may see more than 50 mm in three hours and more than 75 mm through 12 hours, especially over east facing high ground. Lightning and hail of 1-2 cm will also be hazards.”
The hour-by-hour forecast for the rest of the day is as follows:
- 12pm - heavy rain - 22C
- 1pm - heavy rain - 22C
- 2pm - heavy rain - 22C
- 3pm - heavy rain - 21C
- 4pm - heavy rain - 21C
- 5pm - heavy rain - 19C
- 6pm - light rain - 19C
- 7pm - rainy intervals - 19C
- 8pm - cloudy - 18C
- 9pm - cloudy - 18C
- 10pm - mist - 17C
- 11pm - mist - 17C
Looking ahead to Friday, the first full day of action at Bramham Park, even more rain is forecast. With the Met Office predicting showers throughout the morning and early afternoon.
Fortunately, it is expected to ease off heading into the evening, so festivalgoers can enjoy the headline acts in dry conditions.
However, the rain showers are being predicted to continue throughout the weekend, according to the latest forecast. So if you are heading to Leeds Festival, make sure you come prepared!