The Met Office has named 29 areas set to be battered by rain on Friday as weather maps turn blue across swathes of Britain. Rainfall charts show wet weather sweeping across northern and western parts of the UK, with the most intense bursts appearing across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.
Driest and brightest in southeast
Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said the "driest and brightest weather" would be across central and southeastern England, where sunny spells are expected throughout much of Friday. But he warned conditions would deteriorate further north and west, with Wales seeing some showers and more lively weather elsewhere.
Mr McGivern said: "The liveliest weather will be for northern England, much of Scotland and Northern Ireland, especially towards the northwest, where a number of weather fronts will move in, bringing some heavy and, at times, persistent spells of rain."
Showers and thunderstorms possible
He added that there could also be "some lively showers or thunderstorms, hail and gusty winds mixed in as well". The conditions are expected to make it feel cooler in the northwest, while temperatures farther southeast could reach the low 20s amid sunny spells.
Met Office rainfall maps show showers already scattered across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northwest England at around 7am. By 5pm, a more pronounced band of rain is shown stretching northeastwards through Northern Ireland and into western Scotland, with further rain affecting parts of northern England.
Wet weather continues into evening
The wet weather remains widespread into Friday evening, with the 7pm chart showing a band of rain extending through parts of Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland. Meanwhile, much of central, southern and southeast England remains largely untouched by the rain on the charts.
The full list of areas facing Friday downpours includes Highlands, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Argyll and Bute, Glasgow, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Aberdeenshire, County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey and Northumberland.
