Met Office daily weather: Warm and humid weather to bring thunderstorms and heavy downpours

Warm and humid weather ongoing with the chance of thunderstorms and heavy downpours into the weekend

Friday will begin warm and humid across much of the UK, particularly in central and eastern areas. Cloud and outbreaks of rain or showers will gradually move eastwards through the day, with some brighter spells developing, especially across northwestern parts.

As the day progresses, there is an increasing risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms, particularly across northern England, southern Scotland, and parts of north Wales during the afternoon. These may bring torrential downpours, frequent lightning, and localised surface water flooding. Further south and east, conditions will remain largely dry and bright for much of the day, though isolated thunderstorms may develop into the evening, especially across southeast England.

Temperatures will be notably high in the east and southeast, with highs of 28°C to 30°C widely expected, and a chance of 31°C or even 32°C in a corridor from north London to The Wash. In contrast, western areas and northern Scotland will see more average temperatures, reaching the low to mid-20s where brighter spells occur.

Outlook for Saturday

Overnight into Saturday, isolated thunderstorms will continue across the southeast, while showers clear from northeastern areas into the North Sea. By dawn, areas of thundery rain are expected to move into southeast England, spreading northwards through the day and bringing locally torrential downpours.

By Saturday afternoon, this thundery rain is likely to evolve into more widespread heavy rain, reaching southern Scotland. As skies begin to clear in the southeast, isolated thunderstorms may redevelop. Elsewhere, scattered showers are expected, with cloudier skies and some rain arriving into the far southwest later.

Temperatures will be suppressed under persistent cloud and rain, with highs in the high teens to low 20s Celsius. However, where brighter spells emerge in the south, temperatures may still reach the mid to high 20s. Conditions will remain humid, particularly in the south, with mostly light winds, though breezier conditions are possible in the far southwest.

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Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Aidan McGivern, said: “There'll be some outbreaks of rain arriving into the west courtesy of a cold front first thing Friday. But ahead of that we've got this humid air flow. And once the cloud breaks up and the sun comes out, it's going to feel very warm, if not hot, across parts of the Midlands, East Anglia, and the Southeast. Showers fairly widely across Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“But of greatest concern are these thunderstorms that could pop up into the afternoon across parts of northeast England, particularly the North York Moors. Forty to sixty millimetres of rainfall potentially falling in a few hours. Where we do have the sunshine further south though, the potential for 30°C to 32°C.

“A hot day to come, but that heat and the humidity and the nearby low pressure will result in further heavy showers into the Friday evening or even some thunderstorms moving up from northern France to become extensive across eastern parts of the UK in particular as we head into the early hours of Saturday. Low pressure on Saturday swinging further showers and longer spells of rain in from the southwest later. So, an unsettled picture this weekend. High humidity, high instability, chance of some high rainfall rates in places."

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