Met Office names 57 areas facing heavy rain on Wednesday

The Met Office has identified 57 areas across the UK that are set to face heavy downpours on Wednesday, as weather maps turn blue across large parts of the country.

The latest rainfall charts show a huge band of wet weather sweeping across Britain during Wednesday morning, with some areas forecast to see particularly heavy bursts. At 7am, the rain stretches in a long band from Scotland through northern England, the Midlands and Wales towards southern England.

Patches of yellow and orange on the Met Office map indicate heavier rainfall embedded within the system, particularly across parts of Scotland and northern and central England. By 9am, the band has moved further east, while rain continues to affect a large stretch of the country.

Forecast for Wednesday

The Met Office's national forecast says: "Heavy rain moves across the UK on Wednesday, bringing a fresher feel. Staying breezy with sunny spells and showers thereafter."

WXCharts maps using ECMWF data also show the rain pushing across the country during the early hours of Wednesday. The WXCharts maps also show at least 17 counties among those facing some of the wettest conditions.

The latest Met Office forecast shows areas caught beneath the sprawling rain band stretch from Gloucestershire and Herefordshire in the south to Cumbria and the Scottish Highlands.

Low pressure and cold front

A separate Met Office graphic for Wednesday shows a deep area of low pressure sitting to the northwest of Ireland, with a cold front extending across the UK.

Sharing the forecast on X, the Met Office said: "A very deep area of low pressure to the northwest of Ireland means tightly packed isobars and windy weather for many. A cold front sweeps east across the country."

Another Met Office graphic adds: "A band of rain, heavy in places, moves east, followed by sunny spells and showers, most frequent in the west. Windy with severe gales possible in the north at first. Rather warm."