Leeds & Reading Festival revellers make the most of glorious 23C sunshine today – but rain is right around the corner

FESTIVALGOERS are lapping up the glorious bank holiday sunshine.

Thunderstorms had threatened to dampen celebrations in Reading and Leeds across the weekend, but there's barely been a raindrop in sight.

Conditions across both festival sites have been balmy and warm with highs of 23C - despite being 200 miles apart.

And revellers have made the most of every minute, dancing in sunglasses, hats and barely-there outfits.

However, downpours will bring an abrupt stop to the five-day spectacle, and the last bank holiday before Christmas.

Forecasters say rain will develop over northern England tonight before isolated showers fall in the far south east later on.

The mercury will also drop to the high teens and low 20s amid "fairly cloudy" skies tomorrow.

The weather will remain settled during the middle part of next week, before "rain arrives for many of us" come Friday.

"Brisk winds" will then sweep through southern coastal regions, bringing "heavy and prolonged" showers and a risk of thunder.

Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: "After a record-breaking season, we are ending meteorological summer on a rather quiet but warm note, with high pressure dominating over the next few days.

"But we've got some rain in the mix, mostly light and patchy in nature.

"During the course of Sunday afternoon, that rain will continue to move northwards.

"Elsewhere, it's largely dry with some sunny spells, although we have got hazier skies across the far south of the country compared to Saturday.

"Temperatures generally around average in the north, although feeling pleasantly warm in the south.

"That dry and fine theme continues overnight for the bulk of England and Wales, although we do have some outbreaks of rain arriving in northern areas later in the night.

"High pressure will dominate as we move through the week, and there is the chance of some showers here and there, perhaps turning more unsettled by Friday with some rain arriving for many of us."

This year, astronomical summer began on June 21 and will end on September 23.

But on the meteorological calendar - which divides the year into four seasons lasting three months each - summer always officially ends on August 31.