Weather maps based on UKMO model data show 13 counties in England could see roughly 20mm or more rainfall across Thursday, as thunderstorms and heavy downpours move across the UK.
Forecasting models suggest more than 25mm of rain could fall in some parts of the country on Thursday. Eastern England, central areas and the north-west are expected to be wettest, according to the maps.
Met Office warning on thunderstorms
The Met Office has said an area of low pressure moving across the country from the south-west will bring “heavy downpours and thunderstorms” from Wednesday onwards, despite temperatures remaining slightly above average for this time of year.
The Met Office says “heavy showers and thunderstorms” will develop tonight and move northwards across England, Wales and possibly Northern Ireland. This will continue into Wednesday, although there will be “sunnier moments in between” the rain, with conditions feeling “very warm and humid”.
Counties affected on Thursday
The 13 counties expected to see the most rain are Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Herefordshire.
Forecast for the rest of the week
The Met Office adds: “Staying unsettled, with sunshine and bands of heavy rain and thundery showers on Thursday and Friday. Perhaps drier on Saturday, though confidence is low. Temperatures returning back to average.”
BBC Weather says “heavy and thundery showers” will impact Wales and southern parts of England tonight, with showers moving northward “across England and Wales” tomorrow. “Showers will move into Northern Ireland and southern parts of Scotland later in the afternoon” on Wednesday, it adds.
BBC Weather says Thursday “is expected to bring further spells of rain and thunderstorms, particularly across the north of the UK”. It adds: “On Friday, there will be a mix of sunny spells and showers, these heavy and thundery in Scotland and northern England. Saturday will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain across England and Wales, but it may be drier in Scotland and Northern Ireland with sunny spells.”
