The UK was battered by strong winds and thunderstorms after the The Met Office has issued weather warnings for Saturday.
The events were canceled after the UK weather agency issued thunderstorm warnings for Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as a wind warning for large parts of southern England and southern Wales.
A wind warning is in place for parts of England and Wales until midnight Saturday and a thunderstorm warning is in place until 11 p.m. and 9 p.m. for Scotland and Northern Ireland. North respectively.
The forecast has forced organizers of the Goodwood Festival of Speed to cancel the first day of the event for the first time in its 30-year history.
Organizers said: “Safety at the site is our top priority and the forecast high winds will pose a serious risk to various temporary structures at the site. We politely ask that you do not visit Goodwood or attempt to access the site.
Tom Morgan, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “For mid-July we are seeing fairly unsettled weather for the season.
‘We have fairly strong winds today in southern areas where we will potentially see gusts of up to 55mph causing disruption and minor damage to trees, for example, particularly in South Wales and the South from England.
“We also have thunderstorms moving quite quickly in the south due to the wind, but thunderstorms in Scotland and Northern Ireland will be much slower.
“Many outdoor events are scheduled to take place this weekend, we urge you wherever you are to keep an eye on the forecast and allow plenty of time for your travels as the weather may well disrupt strong winds or thunder and heavy rain.
All eight Royal Parks in London have closed their playgrounds in a bid to keep visitors safe.
Wimbledon went ahead as planned despite a warning being issued ahead of the women’s singles final, with organizers announcing the ticket queue would be closed for the day due to the weather warning.
Mr Morgan continued: “For tomorrow’s men’s singles final, the winds should be a little lighter, but there will still be plenty of wind, so you will still notice the winds across center court.”
“There is a drier day in prospect for Wimbledon tomorrow, but I wouldn’t rule out a shower entirely. I think the final will start around 2 p.m. tomorrow, so there is a chance of showers tomorrow afternoon. There is a risk of interruption.
“As we look at a general outlook in the UK, the day tomorrow will improve. The winds will ease. It’s still breezy and there will still be showers but we don’t expect quite the same number of intense showers as we will see on Saturday.
“There will be longer and sunnier intervals between showers tomorrow and it will feel a bit warmer as the winds will be a bit lighter.
‘It also remains very variable during the work week, the low pressure is never too far away, and it will bring showers, but compared to the past few days it will generally be much drier and the winds will also be much less strong. ‘
Wales was particularly hit by bad weather on Saturday morning when the M4 was flooded and a landslide disrupted train services near Troed Y Rhiw.
In Dorset, the annual Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival was cut short as the weekend union event was hit by ‘extremely inclement weather’.
Organizers said on Saturday: “For the sake of clarity, although the weather is expected to improve tomorrow, the remainder of the festival will not take place due to logistical requirements relating to the safe reset of the venue.”
Temperatures throughout the day remained in the high 20s or 20s which is average for the time of year.
Sunday is expected to be less windy, but showers will continue over parts of northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with a chance of thunder, while further south a mix sunny spells and showers.
Contact our press team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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