The Met Office has warned that heavy rain will sweep across the UK this week, with two huge areas being hit by the worst of the downpours. There is also a risk of thunderstorms and localised flooding as the weather takes a turn for the worse over the coming days.
Britain has basked in several scorching heatwaves so far this summer, with temperatures occassionally soaring past 35C. The hot weather and extreme lack of rainfall has led to droughts being declared and hosepipe bans being imposed across several parts of the country. However over recent days, rain has started to fall and temperatures have cooled. Now, the Met Office is warning that a “change is on the way” with the weather this week.
Met Office Meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said conditions are likely to turn more unsettled, with an area of low pressure from southern Europe pushing northwards, which will deepen as it gets closer to the UK on Tuesday and Wednesday.
This will spark the arrival of rain, which could turn heavy in western and southern areas, while a risk of thunderstorms and localised flooding is also a possibility.
Ms Shuttleworth said in her latest weather forecast: “There is a change on the way throughout next week for the last week of August – it is likely to turn more unsettled.
“We have an area of low pressure down south in the Bay of Biscay that will push up towards the UK and as we get towards Monday and Tuesday, the jet stream starts to fire up, scooping up this area of low pressure and that will deepen it as it approaches the UK through Tuesday and Wednesday.
“With low pressure arriving, that means rain will start to arrive as well from the south and west.
“It’s likely to be quite a wet day through Tuesday and Wednesday, particularly across western and southern areas of the UK.
“We’ll also see a risk of thunderstorms with this rainfall, and we could see quite a lot of rainfall falling in quite a short period of time.
“There could be some impacts from this rainfall if we do see localised surface water flooding due to that.”
The latest Met Office weather forecast for Tuesday until Thursday says: “Turning more unsettled from Tuesday with showers, thunderstorms and longer spells of rain moving northwards.
“Temperatures continuing to rise slightly. Showers becoming increasing widespread and heavy on Wednesday and Thursday.”