Rain hammered Greater Manchester overnight as England saw its biggest shift in weather conditions for weeks. The Met Office says up to 23mm of rain fell in parts of the North West in the 12 hours up to 6am this morning (August 19).
First meaningful rain for a long time
It comes as parts of the country are seeing their 'first meaningful rain for a long time' this week, forecasters say. A dry summer has seen repeat heatwaves across the country, with drought conditions in more than two-thirds of England.
Cooler temperatures and showers forecast
Temperatures have plummeted this week though, with cooler conditions expected through to next week. The Met Office is forecasting highs of 19C in Greater Manchester today, followed by 18C on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Lows could drop to 9C in parts of the region on Thursday and Saturday night. Showers are forecast today and tomorrow, according to the Met Office.
The heaviest showers are expected to fall around 11am and 7pm today, and throughout Thursday morning. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are expected to be drier, with sunny intervals - although showers could fall between 3pm and 8pm on Friday.
Drought situation not solved overnight
In an online forecast, Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: "I suspect many people across England and Wales will at least enjoy the feel of some rain falling out of the sky during the next few days, but it’s not going to solve the drought situation overnight because we’re not expecting huge amounts and it will be highly variable because a lot of it will come in the form of showers."
More than 27 million people in England have had water restrictions placed in their areas. Greater Manchester has not been issued restrictions though, with United Utilities confirming it had no plans to introduce a hosepipe ban in the North West.
