The Met Office has named 15 areas in the UK that are set to experience heavy rain on Saturday, August 8. According to the Met Office's rainfall radar map, outbreaks of heavy rain are forecast across several regions, with Scotland and Northern Ireland bearing the brunt.
Forecast details
The Met Office's forecast for Saturday reads: "Northern Ireland and much of Scotland will remain cloudy, with outbreaks of heavy rain through the day. Dry for England and Wales, with sunny spells. Warm here, with light winds."
The outlook for Sunday to Tuesday also indicates: "Areas of rain in the north on Sunday. Dry, hot and sunny in the south. Widely dry, warm and sunny on Monday and Tuesday, locally hot for England and Wales."
Areas affected
According to the Met Office's rainfall radar map, the following areas are expected to see heavy rain during Saturday:
- Scotland: Highlands, Outer Hebrides, Argyll and Bute, Shetland Islands, Moray, Angus, Perth and Kinross, Dumfries and Galloway, Aberdeenshire
- Northern Ireland: County Londonderry, County Tyrone, County Fermanagh, County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down
Context: record dry July
This comes after England and Wales provisionally recorded their driest July on record, with Southern England experiencing its driest month ever recorded in a series dating back to 1836. The UK as a whole saw its third driest July on record, with 28.9mm of rainfall, which is 35% of average – the driest July nationally since 1868.
Northern Ireland recorded its eighth driest July on record, with 30% of average rainfall, while Scotland saw 69% of its average rainfall, the only nation not to come close to breaking records.
Met Office Science Manager Dr Amy Doherty said: "July 2026 has been a truly remarkable month in the UK's climate record. Both England and Wales have provisionally recorded their driest July on record – Wales also its joint warmest. Southern England has seen its driest month ever recorded, and England and Wales have each experienced their sunniest month ever observed."
She added: "The combination of record-breaking dryness, exceptional warmth and unprecedented sunshine has delivered one of the most notable summer months in our historical records."
