Great North Run weather: Met Office forecast predicts race day conditions

Some of us are still drying out after the torrential rain we experienced last year towards the end of the Great North Run, but how will the conditions at this year’s race compare?

Some people taking part will be waiting to find out the forecast before deciding on their plans for the race, while others may simply want to make sure they stay dry as they cheer on their loved ones across Newcastle, Gateshead and South Tyneside.

What is the Met Office forecast for the Great North Run?

The full forecast for this Sunday sees a continuation of the grey skies which we are expected to see across the North East over the latter part of this week.

Starting in Newcastle at 8am when runners are expected to arrive in Newcastle, Sunday will see some light drizzle phase out to leave grey, but dry conditions. Temperatures of 14°C in the early hours will rise to around 15-16°C as the morning continues.

By the time the race is due to begin at 10:55, temperatures will have risen to around 16°C before the mercury levels out for the day.

It may be damp underfoot due to the earlier drizzle, but no further rain is forecast.

Luckily for runners, minimal wind is currently expected throughout the day with highs of nine mile per hour winds - although these are only expected after around 4pm.

Over in South Shields, runners coming into the final miles will see similar conditions, with temperatures of around 16°C and cloudy skies and less than a 25% chance of rain.

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Humidity is expected to remain above 90% all day. This is likely to even stay above 97% while runners are out on the course.

These temperatures are predicted to remain in place until around 7pm.

For those worried about UV exposure throughout the race, the Met Office UV index runs from 0 to 11 or above in extreme circumstances. At the time of writing the Met Office’s UV prediction sees a high of three, thanks to the cloudy conditions throughout the day.