Up to 26 cities across England could be hit by heavy rainfall (Image: Getty)
Brits should brace themselves for a rough few days as a major rain system moves in, set to soak 26 cities across England. Spanning 476 miles from Truro in Cornwall all the way to Newcastle, the huge wall of rain will smash into the country in under a week’s time.
WXCHARTS weather maps have turned multiple colours from blue and green to red and orange indicating that severe downspouts will occur. Some of the worst-hit cities will see rain levels reach 31mm, meaning flooding is also a possibility. The wet weather will cover vast swaths of the country from 9am on Saturday May 9. Ipswich will initally be the worst hit with 7.5mm of rain forecast. Devon and Cornwall are expected to be hit by a wide band of heavy rain, with forecasts predicting between 1.5mm and 7mm of rainfall. The West Midlands is expected to receive about 1.55mm of rain, while Northern England will also see some rainfall, though significantly less than in the southern parts of the country.
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The rain bomb will hit at 9am on Saturday May 9 (Image: WXCHARTS)
The heavy band of rain will cover vast swathes of England (Image: WXCHARTS)
By 12pm, the heavy band of rain will have moved to also cover Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, with these areas forecast 6mm of rain. Meanwhile, Bristol and Somerset are on track for a severe drenching, with 4mm of rain likely to fall.
The rain will have intensified for those in Manchester, Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent with up to 1.5mm of rain forecast. In Cornwall, the rain will have eased but still 2.5mm of downpours could be expected.
By around 6pm, the heaviest rainfall is expected to move over Reading, Swindon, and Oxford, with forecasts indicating about 6mm of rain. Similar rain levels are also expected for Leicestershire and Norfolk.
Meanwhile, in Yorkshire and the West Midlands, rain levels could reach 1.5mm. West Yorkshire could even see a dusting of snow with 0.5mm expected.
By midnight on May 10, rain levels could reach a whopping 31mm in Hereford and Worcestershire, whilst in Teeside 29mm of rain could have fallen.
The worst hit areas could see rain levels reach 31mm (Image: WXCHARTS)
Exeter could see rainfall totals reaching around 21mm, while Gloucestershire may experience even higher levels, with up to 29mm of rain expected. London will avoid the worst of the heavy rain, but is still expected to see up to around 10mm of rainfall.
Elsewhere, Yorkshire and the Humber will be drenched in 22mm of rain and the North West will see rain levels reach 17mm.
The Met Office weather forecast for May 9-17 says: “Initially, slowly-evolving weather patterns are expected in the vicinity of the UK, with low pressure over western Europe and high pressure building across or to the north of the UK.
“Whilst largely settled conditions are likely in northern areas, there may be some rain or showers across portions of England and Wales, which could be heavy and locally thundery.
“However, there is a slight chance these wetter conditions could remain over the nearby Continent. Deeper into next week and beyond, there may be a tendency for more widely unsettled conditions across the UK, with some rain or showers at times.
“Whilst some occasional warm days are possible, temperatures overall are likely to be near or below average, especially in the north, with an ongoing risk of overnight rural frost.”
The heavy band of rain will span 474 miles (Image: WXCHARTS)
The 26 English cities forecast rain: