Met Office daily weather: Rain and wind dominate with potential for thunder

Rain and wind dominate the forecast midweek with the a risk of thunder

Wednesday will begin on a cloudy note, with showers affecting northern areas at first. Through the morning, a band of rain will move across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, gradually spreading north-eastwards to cover much of Scotland. Shetland will remain dry until late afternoon, when the rain is expected to arrive.

Behind the main band of rain, there will be some sunny intervals, but these will be interspersed with blustery, heavy, and potentially thundery showers. Winds will be fresh or strong in the south, with coastal areas at risk of gales. A yellow warning for rain is in place for parts of South Wales and southwest England from 12am until 2pm. 

Temperatures are expected to be near or just below average for the time of year. Highs will reach 19 to 22°C across much of England and Wales, with isolated spots in sheltered areas possibly seeing 23°C once the rain clears. In contrast, areas under persistent rain on the northern side of the low, including Northern Ireland and southern or central Scotland, will see notably cooler conditions, with temperatures in the mid-teens. North-west Scotland is likely to reach around 19°C.

As we move into Wednesday night, rain across eastern and southern Scotland and northern England will gradually clear, although it will persist over Shetland. Most areas will see some clear spells, but showers will continue, becoming frequent, heavy, and at times thundery or squally, especially from the west across southern regions.

Outlook for Thursday

Thursday will bring a mix of sunny spells and showers, some of which may be heavy with a risk of hail and thunder. More organised bands or areas of rain or showers are likely during the morning. Winds will remain moderate to fresh, occasionally strong near coasts. Temperatures are expected to be near average or just below for early September.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Alex Burkill, said: “Wednesday starts of as an unsettled day for many of us. Rainfall totals building up particularly across parts of the southwest as we go through the morning. So, that could cause some localized issues. We do have a warning out there. Otherwise, the heaviest, more persistent rain across England is going to clear away as we go through into the afternoon, pushing out into the North Sea. But heavy showers following in behind, albeit with some sunny spells mixed in.

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“Meanwhile, across parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, it is going to be quite cloudy through much of the day, and there will be outbreaks of heavy rain really through much of it. There were signs parts of the northwest of Scotland would stay dry and that may be the case perhaps for the far western Isles but most places are going to turn cloudy and quite wet. Still some question marks as to exactly how far north and how quickly this rain spreads in. But do be prepared. It is likely to be fairly unsettled and with the rain there will also be some strong winds around risk of gales particularly towards the south coast.

“But for all it is going to be a blustery day. Now, temperatures look like they could be slightly higher than Tuesday for some places across England and Wales. But when you factor in the wind and also the heavy rain at times, it's really not going to feel that pleasant. But in the shelter from the wind and in any sunny spells, well, it's going to feel warm enough. Temperatures peg back a little bit further across northern parts because it's staying more unsettled here. Then, as we go through later on this weekend, the changeable theme continues really.

“Thursday is going to be a showery day and some of these showers could be heavy, could be thundery, although there will be some sunny spells in between. Friday perhaps the driest day of the week for many of us. Not totally dry. A few showery bursts here and there, but probably a bit lighter than the showers we're expecting on Thursday and definitely less unsettled than on Wednesday.”

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