The Met Office has forecast rain for seven areas across the UK this week, with up to 15mm possible in parts of Scotland, following a prolonged spell of scorching temperatures and dry weather.
Last Friday, the national weather agency announced the UK had seen temperatures of 30C or more for 13 consecutive days. Central and south-east England experienced the longest unbroken spell of no recorded rainfall this century, with no rain from July 2 to July 15.
Met Office forecast for today and Wednesday
In the Met Office’s latest Week Ahead forecast, meteorologist Clare Nasir said “patchy rain” is expected today in the “far north and north-west of Scotland” and “spits and spots” of rain in Northern Ireland. The central belt of Scotland could reach 25C to 26C, as could South Wales, central England, and the south-east.
For Wednesday, Nasir said a weather front “will bring the prospect of a little showery rain” once more, with the far north of Scotland seeing “10 or 15mm [possible] across the upslopes towards the north-west”. Eastern parts of Wales, central and southern England are expected to be the warmest, with highs of 25-27C.
Met Office forecast for Thursday and Friday
Conditions will turn more humid on Thursday, with “a few showery bursts around, coming down the east coast” and one or two showers developing inland, according to Nasir. She added that any showers “will be scattered and light”. Thursday is expected to be bright with sunshine for most, with Wales, central England and southern England reaching 25-26C.
For Friday, Nasir said: “We’ll see some showery bursts of rain that will extend across central and northern areas in Scotland. Elsewhere, a fine day with some sunny spells. No meaningful rain away from the north-west this week.” Temperatures could reach 28C in and around London on Friday.
Areas facing rain and weekend forecast
The UK areas facing rain this week are: far north of Scotland, north-west of Scotland, north-east of Scotland, central Scotland, Northern Ireland, eastern coasts, and central England.
More rain could come this weekend. The Met Office says high pressure is expected to weaken as the week ends, allowing “weather fronts to become more active and push southwards”, increasing the likelihood of rainfall across central and northern parts of the UK and bringing “some much-needed rain to areas that have remained exceptionally dry in recent weeks”.
