Met Office daily weather: Weather warnings in place for heavy rain and winds

The weather for Thursday and Friday will be dominated by unsettled conditions across much of the UK, with periods of heavy rain, strong winds, and a notable chill in the air. While some regions will see brief spells of sunshine, most areas should prepare for a distinctly autumnal feel.

Thursday will bring persistent and, at times, heavy rain across central, eastern, and southeastern England. This rain will gradually clear into the North Sea as the day progresses. Elsewhere, showers will be widespread, some of which may turn heavy and thundery, particularly across Wales, southwest England, and parts of the northeast. There is also a risk of more persistent rain developing in these areas for a time.

Despite the unsettled conditions, some respite is expected for parts of central England and central or western Scotland, where drier weather and sunny intervals may develop. However, it will be a windy day for most, with gales, locally severe, affecting eastern areas and a chance of gales in some western regions as well. Temperatures will be rather cold or cold throughout the day, reinforcing the autumnal feel.

As night falls, rain in the far east will slowly clear into the North Sea, though some rain and showers will persist in northeast Scotland. Showers will also continue in parts of the west, some of which may be heavy or thundery. In between, drier conditions with clear spells are expected. Winds will remain brisk in the east initially but will tend to ease elsewhere. Temperatures will be near average, but the combination of brisk north-westerly winds and low dew points will make it feel particularly chilly.

Outlook for Thursday

Friday will see cloudy conditions in parts of the east and northeast, with outbreaks of rain, potentially heavy and persistent for northeast Scotland. Elsewhere, expect variable cloud cover with some sunny spells and showers, which could be locally heavy in the south and west, with a risk of isolated cumulonimbus and thunderstorms. Gales are likely for exposed coasts in the north and east, and blustery winds will affect many inland areas at times. The cold theme continues, so wrap up warm if you’re heading out.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Clare Nasir, said: “There’ll be a lot of wet weather around as we head into Thursday morning. But really, if you are driving, it's worth taking extra time on your journey through Thursday morning with that wet and windy weather across England and Wales.

“Temperatures will be dipping down to possibly 2°C or 3°C, if not lower across the Glenns of Scotland into the early hours of the morning. 7°C or 8°C for Northern Ireland. That wind mixing up the air and certainly with a blanket of cloud and the rain. Temperatures holding around 7°C to 10°C across England and Wales. But first thing tomorrow morning if you're stepping out remember it's going to be wet outside particularly for most of England perhaps even east Wales through the morning with showers towards the west there. This rain will be heavy at times and those winds swirling round it.

“These will be very gusty winds, gales at times, with gusts reaching in land 50 to 60mph, and along the coastline even higher than that. So expect some high waves associated with this low-pressure system. There will also be heavy rain to come as we head through the afternoon into evening time. At the same time across Northern Ireland, you'll see some brighter skies, but showers filing in on a strong wind and certainly some showers for the Western Isles and just clipping mainland Western Scotland as well.

“There will be some fine weather particularly across western Scotland as we head through the afternoon. Not the case across eastern counties. Temperatures through the afternoon will be 10°C, 11°C, 12°C, but turning colder than that through Friday and into the weekend. And that's because the wind turns towards the northerly. Before that though, on Thursday evening, you can see the last of that rain attempting to clear this eastern strip, but we still hang on to those strong winds for a time.

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