Heavy rain will fall on millions on Tuesday, with 79 counties across the UK expected to see downpours as thunderstorms move from south to north.
After months of heatwaves brought drought for much of the country and more than 1,000 wildfires, the middle of August has finally brought some much-needed rain. This past week has seen precipitation sweep over much of the UK.
Weekend and Tuesday Forecast
This coming weekend will stay relatively dry, but wet weather returns on Tuesday (August 25) as thunderstorms move from south to north, soaking millions.
The Met Office forecast for Sunday (August 23) to Tuesday is: “Mostly dry with sunny spells, though cloud and a few showers may affect northern areas. Rain and thundery showers could develop in the south, spreading north later. Temperatures near average.”
Timing and Movement of Rain
Late-night rainfall on Monday evening starts Tuesday off to a wet start. Bands of heavy rain in the south-west then start to spread eastwards and move northwards as the morning progresses.
By 4am, rain will hit London, and by 7am Manchester and East Anglia will get drenched. The band of rain then splits in two by 10am, with one portion drenching Hull, East Yorkshire, and the North East of England.
The western rain band will drench eastern Northern Ireland. From there, this Northern Irish blob of rain will spread westwards to cover the entire country by late afternoon. Scotland will, at the same time, be soaked by the eastern band of rain — with Edinburgh likely to get wet.
Counties Affected
In total, 79 counties in the UK will see rain on Tuesday (August 25). They are: England: Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Durham, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greater London, Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Somerset, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Tyne and Wear, Warwickshire, West Midlands, West Sussex, West Yorkshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire. Wales: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham. Scotland: Argyll and Bute (western islands and coast), Dumfries and Galloway, Highland (western coastal areas), Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles / Outer Hebrides). Northern Ireland: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone.
