Wimbledon 2019: Dry, seasonable weather on tap for first week

Unlike last year's sizzling start to Wimbledon, this year's tournament will feature comfortable weather throughout the first week of play in London.

The third of the Grand Slam tournaments will begin Monday and end on July 14.

The London metro area experienced a brief burst of heat on Saturday as the high temperature soared to 93 degrees Fahrenheit at Heathrow Airport.

Fortunately for the comfort and safety of spectators and players, cooler air has since settled in and will stick around through this week.

"The start of Wimbledon will be cooler with highs expected to be around 21 Celsius (70 F) Monday through Wednesday," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Rob Richards.

These temperatures are right around average for this time of the year, he added.

Temperatures may climb slightly for Thursday and Friday to around 72 F.

During 2018, the high on the first day of Wimbledon was 86 F, with the hottest day of the tournament being July 7 when the temperature reached 89 F.

New this year at Wimbledon is a retractable roof at No. 1 Court, which will allow play to continue in the event of harsh weather conditions such as rain, wind and heat.

This week's dry, seasonable weather should not require the roof to be used for the first half of the tournament.

While fans and players will not have to take extra precautions because of heat and brollies can be kept at home this week, protection will be needed from the strong July sun.

Richards expects each day this week to feature bright and sunny periods.

Hats, sunglasses and sun cream will be needed items for fans, especially those not sitting under cover.

For the most part, the wind should not be a big factor in play this week, with wind speeds generally under 15 mph each day.