Britons are braced for heavy rain and thunderstorms on Tuesday as the Met Office names 15 areas most likely to be affected by the unsettled weather. Forecasters say showers will be most frequent across northern parts of the UK, with some turning heavy and thundery, while rain could also spread into parts of Wales and south-west England.
The wet weather is also set to be accompanied by a chilly start, with Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth warning that rural temperatures could fall into the mid single figures, below average for this time of year. Shuttleworth has also said northwestern areas face the greatest overnight risk of downpours, with northeastern Scotland expected to bear the brunt of the wet weather through the day. Rain bands have already been tracked across parts of Scotland, northern England, the Midlands, Wales and the South West. Although many southern and eastern areas are expected to enjoy dry spells and sunshine, isolated showers remain possible. A brisk westerly wind will also keep conditions feeling cool as the unsettled spell continues.
The Met Office’s official forecast for Tuesday says: “Sunny spells and showers. Showers most frequent in the north where they could be heavy and thundery at times. A cool feeling day for the time of year.”
Forecasters say the unsettled spell will develop overnight, with some parts of the UK seeing heavy bursts of rain before the start of the day.
Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said: “There’s a risk of showers, most notably across more northwestern areas, but they could also push into parts of the southwest of England, parts of Wales, as well, overnight. Some of these could turn quite heavy as well.”
While many places are expected to enjoy spells of sunshine, northern parts of the country are likely to bear the brunt of the wet weather.
Ms Shuttleworth added that “northeastern areas of Scotland could see the heaviest rain through Tuesday”, while “further south, although there is a risk of showers, I think much of the day will be largely dry”.
A brisk westerly wind is also set to keep temperatures feeling cool for the time of year, with highs expected to remain below average for early June.
-Southern England (isolated showers)
-Eastern England (isolated showers)
There is little sign of the unsettled weather ending on Tuesday with forecasters warning of a wetter spell later in the week – with Thursday anticipated to be the wettest day.
The Met Office has already predicted: “A much wetter day expected on Thursday as a weather system moves into the west. Turning heavy on western facing hills. Staying cool.”
Showers are expected to continue into Wednesday before more persistent rain arrives from the Atlantic. Temperatures are also forecast to remain below average for much of the week.
However, the Met Office says conditions should gradually improve, with warmer and drier weather returning towards the weekend.