Viewers of the festival will look for the sunscreen and then the wellies as a sunny start gives way to heavy rain, just as the main tents come out on stage on Friday. Helen Caughey, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said the first of 200,000 people to arrive at the site will enjoy plenty of sunshine and high temperatures of 26C (79F) or 27C on Wednesdays and Thursdays. But the forecast from Friday onwards looks muddy. “You have to design both hats and raincoats for this year’s festival,” Caughey said. Heavy rains and thunderstorms are expected near Worthy Farm, in rural Somerset, on Friday and Saturday, possibly providing a dramatic, albeit rather wet, backdrop for Billie Eilish and Paul McCartney. Rainfall is not expected to last long, but some surface water may accumulate, Caughey said. The surface waters, in the land of Glastos, could very well mean mud baths up to the knees. Caughey added: “Sunday is expected to be mostly dry and bright at first, but with rains growing again by morning, some of which may be heavy and possibly thunderstorms. The volatile pattern is expected to continue to dominate early next week. “ Anyone who has been to Glastonbury – or lived in Britain – knows how to expect sunshine and rain on the same day at this time of year. But Glastonbury sometimes seems to exist in its own strange microclimate, with horrific events such as electric storms wreaking havoc in recent years. The mixed forecast is almost certain not to dampen enthusiasm for Glastonbury’s return after a two-year hiatus from Covid-19. The gates open at 8 on Wednesday morning, it is raining or shining.
