London Marathon weather 2019: Hopefuls set for near-perfect running conditions

London Marathon hopefuls are set for near-perfect running conditions on Sunday as Storm Hannah clears the UK leaving more settled weather.

Temperatures should see highs of 16C in the afternoon as more than 40,000 runners take on the gruelling 26.2 mile route on April 28, the Met Office has predicted.

Met spokesman Richard Miles told the Standard: “Participants can expect a fairly dry and cool day, with skies looking reasonably overcast and temperatures sticking around the mid to low teens.

“I’m not a runner myself, but I would say Sunday’s conditions will be pretty favourable.”

The forecast offers a soothing contrast to 2018’s blistering conditions, which saw the hottest London Marathon on record.

Temperatures soared to 24.2C, leaving many runners suffering dehydration and a number collapsing from heat related illnesses.

Blazing sunshine is not on the cards in the run up to this year’s big event.

Storm Hannah is set to bring strong winds and much cooler conditions to the UK on Friday afternoon, with temperatures expected to plunge more than 10 degrees in some parts.

The Met Office has a issued a yellow weather warning for the south west of the country from Friday night until Saturday afternoon, which could see gusts of up to 75mph.

The storm, which was named by Irish forecaster Met Eireann, will continue to sweep heavy rains and strong winds cross southern areas on Saturday, with temperatures dropping into the low teens – slightly below the average for the time of year.

Mr Miles said although the country could expect to see visible impact from the storm – with leaves and branches likely to fall – the Met does not currently view it as high risk.

“Obviously ‘Hannah’ was coined by Met Eireann, but the storm isn’t strong enough to meet the Met Office criteria for naming.”

Met chief forecaster Frank Saunders said: "We're going to see an unsettled period over the next few days, but the forecast for later next week indicates the return of high pressure, bringing more settled conditions.

"Storm Hannah will move away from the UK during Saturday followed by a transient ridge of high pressure bringing more settled weather to the UK for Sunday, good news for London Marathon runners."