Met Office daily weather: Unsettled with rain and cooler conditions for many

Unsettled weather across the UK with heavy rain in the west, brighter conditions in the east, and warnings for flooding and travel disruption.

Saturday will see a spell of persistent and locally heavy rain developing across the east of Northern Ireland and much of Scotland. This rain will gradually extend into Wales and western parts of England as the day progresses. To the east of this rain band, conditions will be somewhat brighter, though large amounts of cloud are expected, with only a few light showers and the best chance of sunny spells reserved for eastern areas.

Two yellow weather warnings have been issued. The first is for rain in eastern Northern Ireland between 7am and 7pm on Saturday. The second is for rain in western Scotland between 8am and 11:59pm, also on Saturday.

As the rain moves through, it will be accompanied by a period of windy weather, particularly where the rain is heaviest. Temperatures will generally be near or just below average for late September, with the coolest conditions under the rain. However, in south-east England, temperatures may reach 18 to 19°C, offering a milder feel compared to elsewhere.

Through Saturday night, rain will be slow to clear from northern and eastern Scotland and will linger across central England, where it will remain relatively mild. Elsewhere, clearer and cooler conditions will follow behind the rain band, with a few showers possible in western areas. It will turn chilly across western and north-eastern parts after the rain clears, with a risk of grass frost and even some localised rural air frost, especially in Northern Ireland and Wales.

Outlook for Sunday

On Sunday, areas of rain or showers will persist over Scotland, gradually pulling away to the north, though likely lingering for the Northern Isles. Further south, a couple of bands of rain or showers will move eastwards across Northern Ireland, England, and Wales, interspersed with some brighter spells. Winds will be mainly light for most, but it will remain breezier in northern Scotland. Temperatures are expected to be around average for the time of year, with a generally unsettled feel continuing into the new week.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Alex Burkill, said: “An unsettled start to the day across Northern Ireland. Wet and blustery. Heavy rainfall totals building up as we go through the day. And heavy rain also pushing into parts of western, southwestern Scotland in particular. Now, we do have a couple of warnings out. Rainfall totals especially across southwest Scotland could be looking at around 60 to 70 millimetres in perhaps the wettest spots, and a lot of that will be coming in just 3 to 6 hours. And as a result, that could lead to some impact, some localised flooding, some travel disruption, spray on the roads. That’s going to be a bit of an issue as we go through tomorrow.

“Also, some of that rain feeding into parts of Wales and the far southwest of England, but much of England actually staying largely dry. A few showery spots here and there, but a lot of dry weather around and a decent amount of sunshine across eastern parts. Actually, across eastern areas, it’s going to be markedly sunnier, brighter than it will be through today. And that will be represented in the temperatures feeling a bit warmer. Temperatures up a couple of degrees across parts of the east than today. But further west, well, it’s going to feel quite unpleasant at times as that rain pushes through. But worth bearing in mind that across western parts of Northern Ireland, actually the more persistent rain will have started to clear by the time that we get to the afternoon.

“Looking ahead to Sunday, and that front does sweep its way through all the time across southern areas. Not really seeing a huge amount of rain, but it could actually be lingering for a little while on Sunday across parts of the far southeast. So, a bit damp here. More wet weather as well across parts of Scotland. In particular, the wraparound of the front brings some outbreaks of rain and a few gusty winds as well to northern parts of Scotland. Elsewhere, just a few showery bursts here and there, but also some bright sunny spells in between.”

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