- .Final day of festival marked by driving rain and howling gusts
- .Temperatures well below average and misery set to continue into Sunday
- .Northern parts will be hit by winds of up to 50mph
- .But don't worry....we should be okay for Wimbledon (for the first few days, at least)
Hats blew off and skirts flew up at Royal Ascot today as wild weather marked the start of the racing festival's final day.
Driving rain and gusts of up to 35mph swirled around the Berkshire track and made life somewhat difficult for punters, particularly some of the more glamourous ladies, who faced a battle to keep their modesty in tact.
Unseasonably low temperatures of just 16C combined to make it a miserable early afternoon, with the wind making it seem even colder.
Hold onto your hats: Racegoers battle blustery conditions as they arrive for the final day of Royal Ascot
Blowy: These three woman bravely tackle the elements, which saw winds of 35mph swirl around the Berkshire track
Quick, get inside! A posse of punters run for cover as the wind gets up at Ascot
Why did I wear this? A woman struggles to maintain her dignity, right, while the elements play havoc with another
Unfazed: The wild conditions didn't seem to ruffle Her Majesty, though, who looked regal as she arrived for day five
The highest temperature in the south was recorded at Heathrow Airport, where the mercury hit 18.8C - more than two degrees below the monthly average.
The unsettled weather looks set to continue throughout the weekend, said the Met Office, with winds touching gale force in northern parts of Britain and heavy, thundery showers affecting eastern parts.
Rain will die down sufficiently for most parts of the country on Sunday, with the north and east most at risk of lighter showers. Temperatures will be about the same as today.
However, forecasters said tennis fans can look forward to largely pleasant weather for the opening week of Wimbledon.
With the mercury due to hit highs this week, sports fans will be hoping they will be spared rain for the two-week championship, which starts on Monday.
The forecast for the next two days remained unsettled, although Wimbledon should get off to a bright start
Wind one, woman nil: A hat gets lost to the breeze
Unseasonal: Temperatures reached just 16C at the track and the unsettled weather looks likely to continue into Sunday
Laughing in the rain: At least someone finds the inclement weather funny
Lashed... but probably not in the way they had hoped for, as the rain comes down
Rain stopping play has become a well-known feature of the grand slam, and last year saw the centre court roof deployed a number of times when the heavens opened.
But visitors to SW19 can expect only a few showers next week, with even some hope of sunshine, forecasters said today.
Brendan Jones, senior forecaster at Meteogroup, the Press Association's weather division, said: 'At the moment based on our forecasts, it's not actually too bad for the opening week.
'I don't think we're going to have any hot weather like we are this week, the temperatures will be close to average.
'There is likely to be quite a lot of dry weather but there will be some rain interruptions no doubt - at least next week we can be reasonably confident there won't be any huge deluges.'
Not dressed for the weather: Well, at least their clothes are bright
He said there could be a few showers on Monday as they drift across the country, but the chances of catching one at the All England club would be fairly small.
'It should hopefully be generally dry with just a few showers coming through,' he said.
'People will see some tennis, and they might well see some sunshine if they're lucky.'
Temperatures are likely to be in the low-20s, possibly the high teens, he said, with the second week of the tournament looking at the moment like it could be quite similar.
'The week after, at this stage, there's not a great deal of change, it will be quite similar to next week.'
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