WITH just a week to go before the Royal visit to Suffolk, early indications suggest that the weather could be kind when The Queen and Prince Philip come to the county.

By Paul Geater

WITH just a week to go before the Royal visit to Suffolk, early indications suggest that the weather could be kind when The Queen and Prince Philip come to the county.

The summer of 2002 has so far been miserable, but early indications suggest that better conditions could be just around the corner.

And long-range forecasters suggest that the weather could look up considerably by the time children finish school for the summer.

According to former weatherman Bill Giles, who produces a long-range forecast for the BBC, the weather should settle down into a drier, sunnier pattern by the middle of next week.

That should mean the crowds who turn up to see the royal couple in Ipswich, Stowmarket, and Bury St Edmunds will be able to leave their raincoats and umbrellas at home next Wednesday.

If the weather is fine, it should be a repeat of The Queen's last official visit to Ipswich, during the Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977.

The sun shone on that day, and shirtsleeves were the order of the day, even though the summer as a whole did not see temperatures as high as those the previous year.

Weblink: www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/30day.shtml For the 30-day long range forecast from the BBC.