Met Office: 50 UK counties face 36-hour deluge early August

The Met Office has warned that as many as 50 UK counties could be hit by a 36-hour deluge of rain, marking a wet start to August after weeks of high temperatures and heatwave conditions.

New weather maps show rain arriving on August 2, with a wall of rain sweeping in from Sunday evening, soaking Northern Ireland, Wales, northern England and southern Scotland. By the early hours of Monday, the downpours could cover around 50 counties and regions, including Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Yorkshire and large parts of Wales.

Forecast details

Deputy Chief Forecaster Mark Sidaway said: “The forecast is showing potential for more rain than much of the UK has experienced over the last few weeks. However, it looks as though amounts of rain for many will be fairly modest, and won't balance out the shortfall that we have recorded this summer.”

—

Wide Pickt banner — collaborative shopping lists app for Telegram, phone mockup with grocery list

Most places will see steady rain, but some western and hilly areas could experience much heavier bursts. The worst-hit spots may see several centimetres fall over the 36-hour spell, raising the risk of drenched roads, poor visibility and difficult driving conditions.

Temperature outlook

The Met Office warns that from Friday temperatures are expected to be much closer to average across most of the UK, and even slightly below average for northern Scotland. Saturday will have a chilly start for many, but there will be lots of dry weather with some sunny spells, although one or two showers are possible.

A Met Office forecast for Sunday said: “Most places dry on Sunday, then showers could break out more widely on Monday.” In a long-range forecast for Monday 3 August to 12 August, it added: “It will probably become more changeable for a time at least at the start of this period. This means there is a greater chance of some rain or showers for areas of the UK which have seen prolonged dry weather, although rainfall amounts are likely to be fairly modest. Just a low chance of a deeper area of low pressure which would bring more widespread and heavier rain along with some strong winds.”