Royal wedding: Will Harry and Meghan get a washout on their big day?
Experts are struggling to predict whether the royal couple can expect sun or rain, but historical data suggests it's looking good.
Thursday 10 May 2018 23:10, UK
Royal wedding fever is officially under way as well-wishers plan picnics and street parties to celebrate the special occasion.
Romance, style and celebrity guests are guaranteed at Windsor Castle, but one thing that is not for certain is the weather.
Meteorologists have been scrambling to confirm whether Harry and Meghan can expect a Saturday scorcher or a wedding day washout on 19 May.
Met Office historical data for Reading and Heathrow, both near Windsor, offers promising statistics for previous years.
Figures show that between 1981 and 2010 the average maximum temperatures for each location on 19 May were 18.1C and 17.1C respectively.
In more recent years Heathrow has seen a daytime maximum temperature in the mid to high teens, but in 2014 it reached 23.6C.
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Looking ahead to the royal wedding, Sky weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "There's still lots of uncertainty regarding the weather at Windsor for Harry and Meghan's big day, with computer models switching between dry conditions and potentially very wet.
"It looks like high pressure could affect the UK next weekend, bringing mostly fine and warm conditions, but there is a risk of rain moving in from the Atlantic or thunderstorms developing across the south.
"The timing and placement of any rain is uncertain.
"Spring is a transitional season, bringing longer days, rising temperatures and blossoming plants, but that doesn't mean it can't be cold and wet."
The Met Office has recorded average sunshine amounts of more than six hours for Heathrow and Reading in previous years.
The wettest 19 May was in 1960 when 16.6mm of rain was recorded at Heathrow, followed by 14.4mm in 2006.
It has been completely dry on that date 28 times at Heathrow since 1968, with no rain on 29 occasions at Reading.
Met Office meteorologist Sophie Yeomans told Sky News: "There are some indications we could see higher pressure than normal on the weekend of the weather, which would likely gives us drier conditions.
"But it is too early to be certain, as there are signs that could it also be wet."
William and Kate enjoyed a spring wedding on 29 April 2011, and despite quite a lot of cloud it was dry and warm.
Harry and Meghan's big day falls less than two weeks after Britain .
The Met Office reported a high of 28.7C at Northolt in west London, beating the previous high for that day of 28.6C seen in 1995.
:: Sky News will broadcast live in Windsor the week before the royal wedding with all the build up to the big day, with exclusive live coverage of the wedding in UHD in a special programme from 9am to 3pm on Sky News and Sky One on Saturday 19 May.