UK weather: Will half-term be a washout? Met Office issues update as thunderstorms set to batter Britain

After a spell of milder weather, the UK is gearing up for heavy downpours and thunderstorms over the next few days. The regions of South West and South East England, as well as East Anglia, Wales, and Northern Ireland, face imminent flood risks from potential lightning strikes and hail showers. According to the latest updates from the Met Office, areas including Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and western parts of Northern Ireland could witness up to two inches of rainfall over a few hours on Tuesday evening.

Simultaneously, a separate storm warning has also been flagged for South East England and East Anglia till midnight. An additional rain warning applies overnight for regions like Midlands, North East, North West, Wales and Yorkshire, and Humber, anticipated to last until Thursday morning 6am, reports Mirror.

This wave of changing weather patterns heralds the onset of a low-pressure area due to hit the nation from the eastern part on Wednesday. This phenomenon shall further bring along intense, prolonged rainfall and possibly localised flooding in some areas.

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Reflecting on these developments, Amy Bokotan, a Met Office forecaster, commented: "The downpours could be slow moving, and that's the main trouble - the wind's quite light at the moment so when they do form, they could be quite slow moving and intense."

She added, "Where you see them they could be quite intense and dramatic, but not everywhere's going to see them and some places just down the road could be completely fine and shower and thunderstorm-free."

The dreary weather has left many parents wondering if the rain will persist into next week, potentially disrupting Bank Holiday and half term plans. The Met Office's forecast suggests that Friday will continue to see scattered showers, particularly in the north, with a similar pattern expected on Saturday as a front may sweep in from the Atlantic, bringing a band of rain to Northern Ireland and western Scotland.

However, there is a silver lining - for most of the rest of the country, Saturday is set to be a decent day, feeling warmer with temperatures slightly above average. From Sunday onwards, the weather is likely to be a mix of showers and warm sunshine.

The latest forecast reads: "By Bank Holiday Monday, there may still be some showers around, otherwise it will be dry and fine, and feeling warm in the sunshine. Into the following week, once any showers have cleared, more settled conditions are more likely for most, with the best of the weather likely in the southwest."

"Rain may threaten northwestern areas at times, and there is a chance that southern or eastern areas may see the odd heavy or thundery outbreak of showers. Temperatures are likely to remain a little above average, with some regional variation."