It may be little consolation to those caught in the August showers this bank holiday weekend but forecasters are finally predicting an end to our gloomy summer weather.

Temperatures are rising and by the end of the week a more settled spell of brighter weather is expected, which could hold throughout next month.

“Generally it’s going to be a lot brighter than we have seen recently,” said Sarah Holland of the Met Office. It may even last long enough to bring an Indian summer in October.

The rain mostly held off for yesterday’s big music festival in Leeds and Reading but the mud-soaked audiences may not be quite so lucky today.

Showers are also likely during today’s Olympic handover celebrations in central London some time after 2.30pm. It will be dry but cloudy for the second day of the Notting Hill carnival tomorrow.

Other events around the country this weekend include the Creamfields dance weekend in Cheshire and Liverpool’s Beatles-themed Mathew Street Festival.

Those who venture to the seaside should also be aware that coastguard staff are taking strike action this weekend, though rescue workers will not be affected.

A record 2m people are expected to fly away, with Spain, Greece, Turkey and Portugal the most popular destinations. The top city breaks are to Dublin, Rome, Amsterdam and New York. Stansted passengers face the possibility of delays tomorrow because of a strike by members of the GMB union.

Motorists have been warned that there will be congestion hot spots at junctions 15 to 21 of the M5 and junctions 21 to 32 of the M6. The northbound M1 and A303 near Stonehenge will also be busy.

The demolition of the Tinsley cooling towers in South Yorkshire means that the M1 motorway will be closed between junctions 32 and 35 for most of today.

Rail travellers to Scotland and the northwest face disruption throughout the weekend as Network Rail continues an £8.8 billion project to maintain and upgrade 130 miles of the west coast line.