The Met Office has issued a forecast for widespread heavy rain across 33 regions of the UK on Wednesday, ahead of a predicted return to heatwave conditions later in the week.
Areas Affected by Heavy Rain
Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are set to be drenched as a band of heavy rain moves across the country. The Met Office forecast for Wednesday states: "Cloud and rain across Northern Ireland will spread eastwards into Scotland during the day, with some heavier bursts possible. Elsewhere, it will be largely dry, with variable amounts of cloud."
The following regions are expected to experience 4-8mm of rainfall:
- Northern Ireland: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Tyrone
- Scotland: Central, Tayside & Fife (Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling); SW Scotland, Lothian Borders (Edinburgh, Scottish Borders, West Lothian); Strathclyde (Argyll and Bute, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire)
- England: Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland, Westmorland, Lancashire, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire
Thundery Showers Possible
Met Office Chief Forecaster Neil Armstrong said: "From Tuesday and into the midweek, conditions are forecast to turn more changeable, with showers or longer spells of rain - heaviest and most frequent in the north and west. While the south and southeast stay mostly drier and often warm. Some of the showers on Tuesday will be thundery and there is potential for a thunderstorm warning to be issued."
Tuesday also sees heavy rain for parts of the country, with a yellow warning issued over parts of Scotland. Some areas could see 20mm in an hour, with the chance of 30-40mm in two to three hours in some locations.
Heatwave Return Expected
Despite the midweek downpours, heatwave conditions are forecast to return by the weekend, with temperatures potentially reaching 30°C in parts of the southeast. Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Tony Wisson said: "The forecast for this weekend suggests that temperatures could approach high 20s°C across parts of England, perhaps 30°C in parts of the southeast, with values of mid to high 20s°C in Wales. Although a return to heatwave conditions is looking increasingly likely for some areas, the likelihood of such extreme high temperatures or high levels of humidity as last week is currently low."
