Met Office weather maps show a more than 600-mile wall of rain sweeping across the whole of the UK on Thursday into Friday, stretching from the top of Scotland to the bottom of England. The UK weather agency has also warned that temperatures will "substantially" drop this week.
Rain arrives from the west
The wall of rain will approach the UK from the east, hitting Ireland at around 10am on Thursday (October 8) before gradually moving in a westerly direction towards the UK. Greater Manchester is set to be hit with rain by around 10pm on Thursday.
The UK-wide outlook for Thursday until Saturday reads: "Wet and windy weather moving eastwards across all areas later, slowly clearing to sunshine and blustery showers during Friday and Saturday."
Autumn after a record summer
It comes as autumn gets fully underway, after a summer of heatwaves and drought. The summer of 2026 has broken several records including the driest July for England and Wales, and has been provisionally named the hottest summer on record for the UK.
Despite recent rainfall, several areas across England and Wales remain in drought conditions, with others in 'prolonged dry weather' status.
Changeable conditions ahead
The Met Office's long-range weather forecast for the UK - which covers the period between October 10 and 19 - says that "changeable" conditions are likely throughout the middle period of the month.
It reads: "It will likely be quite changeable through the middle of October, as a series of low pressure systems run across the North Atlantic, often to the north and northwest of the UK, bringing occasional bands of rain and strong winds, but interspersed with brighter and more showery conditions."
Rain will be most prevalent across hills in the west and especially northwest, where above average rainfall is likely through this period. Longer drier interludes are more favoured in sheltered southern and eastern parts, but even here it is likely to be wetter than during recent weeks.
The Met Office adds: "Whilst brief cooler interludes are possible, temperatures are likely to be a little above average in many areas for the period as a whole."
