Met Office predicting a bright bank holiday as the rain goes away

By [mbyrne] mike byrne and tom bevan

IT may not have been the  “barbecue summer” many  had hoped for, but sun-seekers have been told they can  look forward to a warm and  bright Bank Holiday weekend.

The Met Office in Exeter  has predicted a dry weekend in and around the city  with temperatures regularly topping 20 degrees.

After another miserable  week of torrential ran and  dark skies, the announcement will come as a huge  tonic to those who are planning to enjoy the long weekend.

The news comes as a new  survey has shown the summer’s lack of sunshine   failed to cast a shadow on  Devon’s holiday businesses,  with the majority seeing  figures as good, if not better, than last year.

And they are hoping for  even brighter figures with  one major holiday spot near  Exeter reporting a 300 per  cent increase in bookings  for the Bank Holiday weekend.

Andrew Sibley, a forecaster for the Met Office  said the weather was looking good.

He said: “Saturday in Exeter will be dry with broken  clouds, a moderate westerly  breeze with temperatures  around 20 degrees Celsius  (68 degrees Fahrenheit). It  will be a pleasant day.

“Sunday will start bright,  but with cloud increasing  through the morning with  some bright spells in the  afternoon. Temperatures  could reach 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees fahrenheit)  and it should stay dry.

“Monday should be another reasonable day.  There will be some wind,  but good sunny spells and  temperatures reaching 23  degrees celsius (73 degrees  fahrenheit).

“We think it should be a  nice weekend. There is a  weather front coming  through on Tuesday and it  will cool off again, so those  enjoying the Bank Holiday  weekend should see the best  of the weather.”

There was further  brighter news for the holiday businesses in the survey of members by Visit  Devon, the group promoting Devon as a business and  leisure tourism destination

It showed more than 60  per cent of members surveyed reported summer  business had been better, or  much better, than last year.  In addition, predictions for  the Bank Holiday weekend  look promising, with 87 per  cent expecting business to  be fair, good or very good. A  large proportion of accommodation providers are reporting 100 per cent occupancies.

As well as healthy business levels, over 68 per cent  of respondents said the recession had not affected  tourist spend as a whole.

The results were from a  survey conducted by Visit  Devon last week across 100  businesses, from attractions to accommodation  providers.

Jamie Christon, Visit Devon’s director, said: “There  have been so many factors  at play this year; it’s great to  see that the tourism industry in Devon seems to be  holding its own. The majority of businesses appear  to have benefited from a  healthy domestic market.  We are succeeding in attracting overseas visitors.”