The Met Office has forecast heavy rain for parts of Scotland on Thursday, with up to 32mm of rain possible in the Orkney Islands, while other parts of the UK enjoy a heatwave.
Red rain cells, which could bring 16-32mm of rain in an hour, are expected to hit the Orkney Islands in the mid-afternoon. Mainland Scotland will also see heavy rain, with orange cells bringing 8-16mm of rain in an hour forecast to deluge the Highlands near Loch Glascarnoch around the same time. Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Fort William will also see heavy rain later in the afternoon.
Drier conditions in eastern Scotland
Eastern Scotland will have better weather, with Edinburgh and Dundee likely to stay dry. Top temperatures will be in the mid-to-high teens: 17C in Edinburgh, 18C in Dundee, 19C in Aberdeen, and 16C in Glasgow.
“A band of thicker cloud will continue to sink south on Thursday, introducing fresher conditions for all. However, outbreaks of rain, locally heavy at times, will affect northern Scotland,” forecasters said on Wednesday evening.
Drought continues in England
While rain is also forecast to hit north-east and south-west England, and Northern Ireland, Scots are predicted to see the heaviest rain in the UK. The forecast comes a day after millions were told they are now living in a drought, as the Environment Agency declared half of England in drought. The seven drought regions include East Anglia, Hertfordshire and the whole of London, Thames Valley, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, West Midlands, and Wessex (covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, and south Gloucestershire).
Drought will continue in those areas on Thursday, as south-east England will enjoy a high-20-degree heatwave, with London at 26C and Rochester, Kent, reaching 28C.
