Don’t get excited as heatwave hope gives way to rain
Was that it, as far as our scorching staycation summer goes? The longest sustained spell of heat since the Sixties in some parts of the country ended with a bang – 12,000 lightning strikes recorded in a few hours, near biblical floods that closed the M25 London orbital at Reigate in Surrey, and areas from Wales to Kent inundated.
The humid, misty, rainy conditions that have gripped southern England and East Anglia these past few days did start to lift yesterday. And today will see that process continue.
There will be plenty of cloud in eastern areas, and the threat of yet more thunderstorms as low pressure builds in across most parts of the UK. Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland will be overcast and damp, with any sunny spells either in the north of Scotland or down in south-eastern England.
The London region will see 25C (77F), East Anglia 23C (73F), and anywhere from Cardiff through Birmingham to Liverpool spot on the August average at 21C (70F). Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow will be down at 18C (64F). And that slow-moving weather front will continue to be an unwelcome visitor on Monday, with Scotland and Northern Ireland sunnier. It will be Tuesday before it eases, and for a brief period the return of high pressure may harbour hopes of a return to heatwave conditions.
But don’t get too excited. More low pressure is heading from the Atlantic, bringing with it more rain, strong winds and little change. As we so often see with Atlantic lows, it will be the north and west that bear the brunt, and the south and east that have the best chance of some sunshine and warmth as the week wears on.