Met Office Names 12 Areas Facing Rain on Thursday Ending 38C Heatwave

The Met Office has identified 12 areas across the UK that will experience rain on Thursday, bringing a dramatic end to the sweltering 38C heatwave that has gripped Britain. Weather maps show showers sweeping across parts of the country, with the forecaster warning of extremely hot and humid conditions in southern and central parts of England and Wales before the change.

Forecast Details

In its latest outlook for Wednesday to Friday, the Met Office stated: "Extremely hot and humid in southern and central parts of England and Wales. Strong sunshine at times, but increasingly cloudy by Thursday with showers. Becoming slightly cooler from Friday." Forecasts indicate rain will affect parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland throughout the day before spreading into north-west England, Wales and south-west England by the evening.

The change comes as Britain's intense heatwave begins to break down after days of soaring temperatures and oppressive humidity. Schools across England have already relaxed uniform rules and issued guidance to help pupils cope with the extreme heat. The Met Office has warned the heatwave is developing into an "impactful severe weather event". Forecasters expect temperatures to reach 38C and potentially challenge the UK's longstanding June temperature record. Very warm nights are also expected, with temperatures in some areas failing to fall below 20C.

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Areas Affected

Weather maps show rain initially concentrated across northern Scotland during the early hours of Thursday before showers become more widespread across western parts of the UK later in the day. By Thursday evening, bands of rain are forecast to affect Northern Ireland, western Scotland, north-west England, north Wales and south-west England, while much of southern and eastern England remains dry and very warm.

Meteorologist Kathryn Chalk urged people to keep up to date with the latest forecasts as conditions begin to change later in the week. She said: "As we head into Thursday, that's where there's more uncertainty, there's more cloud in the forecast, but that'll, again, add to the humidity as well. So, do keep an eye on the forecast and on our warnings that are on our website."