Met Office daily weather: Rising temperatures as we reach midweek

Increasingly warm and humid conditions are on the way, bring with them the risk of some thunderstorms

A rather unsettled start to Wednesday is expected, with extensive cloud cover and scattered showers across central and northern regions. A band of light rain and drizzle will persist through the morning, stretching from South Wales into the Midlands. The far northwest will continue to see occasional showers, though brighter intervals will develop for many areas as the day progresses.

As the cloud lifts northwards, southern parts of the UK will experience increasingly humid and very warm conditions. Temperatures are forecast to peak around 28°C in London and eastern England, with a possible upper limit of 30°C in areas where cloud cover is thinner and winds remain light. However, coastal regions, particularly East Anglia and the southwest English Channel, will remain slightly cooler.

Later in the day, the risk of heavy, potentially thundery showers increases, particularly in the far south and southwest. These showers may become more widespread into the evening and overnight period.

Showers, some with sporadic thunder, will continue to move northeastward into central and eastern areas. A separate, more organised area of thunderstorms, accompanied by frequent lightning, hail, and heavy rainfall, may affect the far southeast. Meanwhile, a band of rain will arrive in Northern Ireland and western Scotland, moving eastward and turning locally heavy. The northeast may remain dry until dawn. Conditions will feel sultry in the east and southeast.

Outlook for Thursday

Thursday begins with lingering heavy showers and thunderstorms in the far southeast and possibly central areas, clearing eastwards shortly after daybreak. Rain in the west will move eastward, breaking into scattered showers, some of which may be heavy. A gradual improvement is expected from the west later in the day, with clearer skies and sunny spells developing.

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However, thicker cloud and further outbreaks of rain are likely to reach some western areas by the evening. Winds will be light to moderate, becoming fresh later in the day, and locally strong around coastal regions. Temperatures will be mild at first, with daytime highs near seasonal averages, though parts of the east may remain locally warm.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Alex Deakin, said: “Wednesday morning will see some misty, murky conditions, few scattered showers in western Scotland. There’s a zone of damp weather affecting South Wales, perhaps the Midlands, maybe northern parts of Devon and Cornwall seeing a little light rain and drizzle too. That should tend to fizzle out through the day, and away from that cloudier zone, many places looking dry through Wednesday.

“We should see brighter skies, certainly for northwest England, much brighter than today. Same goes for southwest Scotland, some good spells of sunshine. And again, quite warm and humid across the south and east. If the sun does break out here, temperatures getting up into the high 20s, likely 28°C. Quite warm, quite humid in this zone.

“There will be the threat of some thundery showers coming up from the south, and that is something we need to keep an eye on as we go through Wednesday evening. The potential for some pretty lively downpours, initially perhaps over South Wales, southwest England, but then spreading into the Midlands. And even angrier-looking downpours just threatening to come up across the southeastern corner during Wednesday evening and overnight. At the same time, more cloud and rain spilling in from the west from a weather front from the Atlantic.”

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