The Met Office's latest weather maps show rain arriving in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, eventually stretching down to England, bringing relief to many areas facing drought after an exceptionally warm and dry period.
Rain Arrives Next Week
Rain is expected to arrive at the beginning of next week, with peak precipitation on Tuesday, August 18. The maps show rainfall mainly in Scotland on Monday, becoming more widespread on Tuesday and hitting northern counties such as Cumbria and Northumberland.
The counties that can expect heavy rain on Tuesday, August 18, include in England: Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Durham, Lancashire, West Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire.
Full List of Affected Areas
In Scotland, the affected areas are: Aberdeenshire, Angus (Forfarshire), Argyll, Ayrshire, Banffshire, Berwickshire, Buteshire, Caithness, Clackmannanshire, Cromartyshire, Dumfriesshire, Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, Fife, Inverness-shire, Kincardineshire, Kinross-shire, Kirkcudbrightshire, Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Moray (Elginshire), Nairnshire, Orkney, Peeblesshire, Perthshire, Renfrewshire, Ross and Cromarty, Roxburghshire, Selkirkshire, Shetland, Stirlingshire, Sutherland, West Lothian, and Wigtownshire.
In Northern Ireland, the affected counties are: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Derry, County Down, County Tyrone, and County Fermanagh.
Weather Outlook
The Met Office's outlook for this weekend predicts Saturday to bring sunny spells and scattered showers, heaviest in the southeast. "Sunday is mostly dry with sunshine, though rain reaching the northwest later," the forecast reads. "Monday sees increasing rain, with breezy conditions."
From Monday, frontal systems will likely approach or move across the UK from the Atlantic, bringing rain to many parts, although any heavy rain will probably be across high ground in the northwest. "Temperatures will likely be near normal or slightly above. Later in the period, high pressure will probably have more of an influence with drier conditions developing for many," the forecast states. "Some rain is still possible at times, particularly in the north, together with a risk of thunderstorms in the south. Temperatures will likely be above normal."
