Queen Elizabeth II’s final journey may be marked by stormy weather

Saturday, September 10, 2022

As people all over the globe mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, all eyes are on the United Kingdom, which has officially entered a mourning period of at least 10 days.

While Buckingham Palace has yet to confirm the official date of Her Royal Highness’s state funeral, over the next week her coffin will make a lengthy journey across the U.K., and some wet weather is expected along the way.

The first step in the journey will come as the queen’s coffin is moved from her place of death at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland.

This movement is expected to occur on Sunday, according to a news media.

Mourners are expected to gather along the procession’s 5-hour travel route to pay respects.

Western and southern Scotland will encounter showers Sunday afternoon, so those who plan on going to pay their respects in these locations are going to want to have raincoats or ponchos handy, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.

Mourners in Edinburgh hoping to pay respects on Monday may also need rain gear for a time.

There are likely to be showers Monday morning in Edinburgh, Roys said.

The wet weather expected early next week across portions of Scotland and the United Kingdom is forecast to come as a result of what remains of Tropical Rainstorm Danielle.

While the rainstorm will no longer have tropical characteristics as it approaches Western Europe at the start of the upcoming week, it will still bring stormy conditions.

The heaviest downpours from Danielle’s surge of moisture are expected to remain largely out of the U.K., instead targeting southern Ireland as well as portions of Spain and Portugal.

The next leg of the queen’s journey will come early next week when her coffin is expected to be flown to London. This can happen as early as Tuesday, according to a newspaper.

Once in London, the queen’s coffin is expected to lie in state through the end of the week in Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster.

Over the course of several days next week, hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to file past the coffin to pay respects.

There is a risk of a few showers in London on Tuesday and a risk of some rain on Wednesday, so those waiting to pay respects at Westminster Hall should come prepared, Roys cautioned.

After Wednesday, forecasters say generally drier conditions are expected for London as high pressure pushes over much of the U.K., so mourners can leave their brollies and wellies behind.

At this time, Thursday to Monday, Sept. 19, looks to be rather dry, Roys said.

Over the course of her seven decades of rule, Queen Elizabeth II was no stranger to adverse weather.

Ahead of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier this year, a plane carrying the queen had to divert course due to an intense thunderstorm. The plane ultimately landed safely.

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