A huge band of rain stretching roughly 700 miles is set to sweep across western parts of the UK on Wednesday, with a string of areas facing spells of wet and windy weather.
The Met Office's latest long-range forecast warns that Atlantic frontal systems will continue to bring spells of rain, showers and occasional strong winds between Tuesday, September 29 and Thursday, October 8. The wettest and windiest conditions are expected to be most frequent across western areas, while the far east and southeast are more likely to enjoy longer drier spells.
Areas in the path of the rain band
A Met Office weather map shows a broad band of precipitation running diagonally through the UK, with particularly heavy bursts shown across parts of western Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and western England. On the map, the rain stretches from the northwest of Scotland through the Highlands and down towards Northern Ireland before crossing Wales and reaching parts of southwest England.
The areas shown closest to the main rain band include western Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, northwest England, the West Midlands and southwest England, although the precise position of rainfall will change as the forecast gets closer.
Places affected by the rain band
Among the places appearing beneath or close to the band are Highland, Argyll and Bute, Perth and Kinross, Dumfries and Galloway, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, South Wales, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
- Western Scotland
- Northern Ireland
- North Wales
- Mid Wales
- South Wales
- North West England
- Cheshire
- Shropshire
- Herefordshire
- Worcestershire
- Gloucestershire
- Somerset
- Devon
- Cornwall
- South West England
The map also shows particularly intense patches of rain, represented by yellow and orange shading, running through parts of western Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and southwest England.
Forecast limitations and October outlook
However, the Met Office stresses that long-range forecasts cannot provide the same level of local detail as shorter-range predictions. It says forecasts beyond five days are written on a UK-wide scale because small changes in the atmosphere can have significant effects on the weather several days later.
Into October, the Met Office expects high pressure to the northeast of the UK could become more influential, bringing longer drier periods to northern and northeastern areas. Rain may instead become more prevalent towards the south and west, according to the forecast. Temperatures are also expected to remain above average overall during the period.
The Met Office's current forecast for the period reads: "Remaining changeable as Atlantic frontal systems bring spells of rain, showers and occasional strong winds."
