Advertisement

UK weather: Mixed bag of sunny spells, heavy rain and 40mph winds forecast across country

A woman shelters under an umbrella in central London, as rain, wind and weather warnings are bringing an end to the sweltering June heatwave: PA
A woman shelters under an umbrella in central London, as rain, wind and weather warnings are bringing an end to the sweltering June heatwave: PA

Summer is in full swing but weather conditions across the UK this week range widely from sunny spells to heavy downpours to gusty winds as the weekend approaches.

The start of July will see the days “chop and change” between bright skies and showers of rain, with possible highs of 24C on Wednesday.

“It’s a very messy picture in the coming days, some heavy showers but they’re not particularly widespread and should move through quite quickly, and there will be some strong winds as well,” said Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey.

After a dry, sometimes sunny start in the south, the day will get cloudier with sometimes-heavy showers forming. Over south and central Scotland and Northern Ireland, conditions are the opposite, with rain slowly dying out throughout the day, forecasts the Met Office.

Northern and central England will see a longer spell of rain that may become heavy at times on Wednesday evening. A red flood warning has been issued by the Environment Agency for Keswick Campsite, where flooding is expected as a result of heavy rain.

On Thursday, the rain over northern and central England will clear slowly, but showers will form quickly to the south, which may be heavy and thundery at times. As the day goes on, some sunshine might break through the clouds.

“More rain and low cloud in northern England on Thursday, with heavy showers and the risk of thunderstorms in the south — but there will be some dry and sunny spells in between showers,” said Ms Maxey.

A low pressure system moving in from the Atlantic on Friday could bring gusts up to 40mph to the north and west of the UK, with the strongest winds affecting the northwest.

The blustery conditions are likely to continue into Saturday and much of Sunday, easing only overnight. “It’s still a messy picture going into the weekend, but it will be quite humid and warm with temperatures possibly reaching 24C in London.”

However, conditions in the southeast are expected to be mostly dry, bright and warm, and will feel more humid.