... maybe he should move north for the downpours

IF you’re in the North, keep your umbrella at hand – but sun cream might once again prove more useful for southerners.

After heavy and thundery showers across the east of England today, a NorthSouth divide in the country’s weather is likely to open up.

While parts of northern and western Britain are likely to experience spells of unsettled weather, a drier and brighter picture is predicted for the South and East. By the weekend, temperatures in London and parts of East Anglia could reach 28C (82F). Further north and west, however, it could be closer to the season average of 20-21C (68-70F).

Met Office spokesman Emma Salter said: ‘We’re likely to keep an area of low pressure centred to the north of the UK but elsewhere, high pressure is likely to become dominant once again. The situation is likely to stay the same through the weekend and into next week, although we don’t yet know precisely where the divide between the North and South will be.

‘Southern areas could be quite warm, with temperatures in the mid to high 20s Celsius (high 70s–low 80s Fahrenheit).’

Before high pressure re-establishes itself across southern Britain, up to one inch of rain could fall in an hour during thundery showers today. A warning has been issued covering the east of the country, from Teesside to Essex, for thunder storms between 11am and 10pm.

Miss Salter said the storms were being caused by a mass of humid air moving east across Britain with a low pressure system. A warning issued by the Meteorological Office highlights possible travel disruption and flooding due to the volume of rain falling at once.