Britain’s scorching heatwave is expected to come to a close, with heavy downpours anticipated for Saturday, according to the Met Office. Rainfall is forecast to be particularly intense in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and parts of Northwest England, as conditions turn unsettled heading into the weekend after a cloudy Friday.
Up to 20mm of rain could fall in certain areas of Northern Ireland and western Scotland on Saturday as a band of rain slowly progresses eastward across the UK. The Southeast of England may escape the precipitation until at least Sunday.
The Met Office has warned of changing conditions over the weekend, with rain moving from west to east after a bright start in some regions on Saturday. The northwest is likely to experience the heaviest rain, while the southeast is expected to remain predominantly dry. Temperatures will hover around average in the northwest but stay above average in the southeast.
This shift marks the conclusion of the scorching heatwave which saw temperatures surpass 35C, with the hottest location on Wednesday being Whitechurch in Pembrokeshire, south Wales, reaching 31.8C.
Chris Bulmer, chief forecaster at the Met Office, stated that the hot weather is beginning to dissipate, with fresher conditions moving in as a weak cold front establishes across the UK by Saturday. Showers and thunderstorms may occur as temperatures return to seasonal norms across the weekend and into the next week.
Sunday is expected to bring more rain and showers, particularly in northern and western areas, with some brighter intervals further east. The Met Office anticipates the unsettled weather pattern to persist into the following week as temperatures normalize after the record-breaking heat spell.