The UK is set for a wet start to next week with as many as 57 counties set to be battered by a deluge of rain on Monday. Weather maps from the Met Office show a large, wet weather front making landfall with the UK on Sunday evening, bringing heavy rain to parts of the UK in the early hours of Monday. Wales will feel the brunt of the weather, with Gwynedd and Powys most likely to receive the most intense rainfall. Smaller heavy pockets may also affect western Cheshire and northern Pembrokeshire, but the strongest continuous band is over north and mid-Wales.
Forecast Details
A Met Office long-range forecast for August 3 to August 12 said: “It will probably become more changeable for a time at least at the start of this period. This means there is a greater chance of some rain or showers for areas of the UK which have seen prolonged dry weather, although rainfall amounts are likely to be fairly modest. Just a low chance of a deeper area of low pressure which would bring more widespread and heavier rain along with some strong winds.”
A broad band of rain is forecast to sweep across much of England and Wales in the early hours, bringing a wet start for millions. The heaviest downpours are expected across north and mid-Wales, with intense bursts also threatening parts of the Welsh borders and north-west England. By 4am, rain is shown stretching from Cornwall and Devon through the Midlands to Yorkshire and the North East, potentially causing difficult conditions for early-morning motorists.
The wet weather will signal a significant change from the hot conditions large parts of the country have become accustomed to and will follow a week where heatwave conditions could return to parts of the UK.
Temperature Shift
Paul Gundersen is a Met Office chief forecaster. He said: “Today [Wednesday] will see the highest temperatures of the week, with some locations in eastern England expected to reach 35°C. However, a marked change of weather type is due from the end of the week, bringing more unsettled conditions to the northwest of the UK and temperatures closer to the seasonal average. Scotland and Northern Ireland will see cloudier conditions with outbreaks of showery rain, although here too brighter spells are possible. A temperature value of 35°C today will be the seventh day of 2026 when the UK has recorded a value of 35°C or higher. Prior to this year, the record was five days of 35°C or above in a single year set in 1976.”
A cold front will sink southwards during Thursday, gradually introducing fresher conditions. Outbreaks of rain and showers, heavy at times, will affect northern Scotland. From Friday temperatures are expected to be much closer to average across most of the UK, and even slightly below average for northern Scotland. Saturday will have a chilly start for many, but there will be lots of dry weather with some sunny spells, although one or two showers are possible.
Rainfall Outlook
Mark Sidaway, deputy chief forecaster, said: “The forecast is showing potential for more rain than much of the UK has experienced over the last few weeks. However, it looks as though the amount of rain for many will be fairly modest, and won't balance out the shortfall that we have recorded this summer. It’s still possible that some areas of the south will miss out and see little or no rainfall.”
Areas Affected
Full list of areas hit by rain on Monday:
- England: Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, County Durham, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greater London, Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Somerset, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Tyne and Wear, Warwickshire, West Midlands, West Sussex, West Yorkshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire
- Wales: Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd, Mid Glamorgan, Powys, South Glamorgan, West Glamorgan
- Scotland: Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders
