BBC forecaster predicts warm weather in Wales for bank holiday weekend - but not everywhere

As we look forward to the bank holiday weekend it appears set to be warmer, but there will still be a mix of sunshine and rain. Forecasters say that warmer weather is on the way by the end of this week, with highs of 20C by the weekend - you can read more on that here.

But there will still be the potential for rain showers, with Swansea looking like one of the best places to be in Wales over the extended weekend break. BBC Wales weather forecaster Sue Charles has said: "It’s turning warmer, but not always brighter. Still some rain in the forecast."

READ NEXT: Met Office forecasts it will reach 20°C this week after bitterly cold weekend

READ NEXT: Huge 4x4 'dangles' at top of garden after rolling away from house

GMB weather presenter Laura Tobin said that the change to warmer weather is all down to the jet stream. She said: "The jet stream has basically been sitting on us, or under us so it has either been cold or wet. The signs are as we head through this week, it is starting to shift and it will warm up, but it will bring rain. You can't have it all. The three month outlook is for warmer than average, but also wetter than average."

More than 16million motorists are expected to hit the roads in Britain for the first bank holiday weekend in May. Getaway traffic will start building this Friday before peaking on Saturday at 3.3million journeys, according to research by the RAC and transport analytics firm Inrix.

They say drivers hoping to make the most of the better weather should avoid setting off between 1pm and 7pm on Thursday; 11am and 6pm on Friday; 9am and 2pm on Saturday; and 10am and 3pm on Sunday and Monday.

Back to the weather and Swansea looks like one of the better places to visit this weekend if you are looking for sun temperatures of around 15C. It is also looking sunny with highs of 15C in Holyhead on bank holiday Monday.

The long range UK forecast from the Met Office says: "During the first weekend, northern parts of the UK are likely to be predominantly dry, while areas of rain or showers, perhaps heavy and thundery, clear erratically from the south to usher in a spell of drier weather here too."

Traffic experts predict that the long weekend may start as early as Thursday morning in some parts of the UK, with the M53 southbound from Liverpool to Chester hit by mid-morning delays of up to 45 minutes. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter

The busiest route will be the M5 southbound between Bristol and Taunton on Friday afternoon where travel is expected to take nearly two hours longer than usual due to getaway and commuter traffic combining.

Most major routes across the south and south west are likely to take an average of 50% longer than usual to drive on Friday afternoon, while on bank holiday Monday itself, parts of the north west, East Anglia and south west will be hardest hit by returning traffic.

RAC Breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “We’re anticipating a ‘crescendo of cars’ on the road over the weekend with as many as 3m motorists making leisure trips on Saturday alone. In addition to the majority of motorists planning day trips and short breaks, our data shows local routes to city and out-of-town shopping centres could see heavy traffic, so it’s best to head out early morning or evening if possible.

“For those extending their long weekend breaks into next week, it’s important to plan return journeys in advance as the train strikes between Tuesday 7 and Saturday 11 May will inevitably lead to roads being busier. Industrial action can throw best-laid travel plans into chaos and many commuters who normally rely on the trains instead take to the roads, so our advice is to avoid driving at peak times of day if you can.”