UK Braces for Weekend Deluge as Met Office Forecasts Heavy Rain Across Eight Regions
Millions face significant downpours and cooler temperatures as a widespread weather system sweeps across the nation.
Callum Smith
The United Kingdom is set for a weekend of heavy rainfall, with the Met Office predicting substantial downpours across eight regions on Saturday, July 25, and Sunday, July 26.
A weather front is anticipated to reach Scotland's north-western coastline during the early hours of Saturday before gradually tracking southwards throughout the weekend.
The Met Office confirmed the weekend will bring unsettled conditions as high pressure moves across the UK, with rain visible on precipitation maps starting Friday, July 24, at 7:30 am.
Rain will begin moving southeast from Northern Ireland and Scotland at 7 am on Saturday, with the most northerly parts of England seeing some rain by 10 am.
In the early afternoon, the North West and North Wales will start to feel damp, as will Yorkshire later in the afternoon.
England and Wales will largely experience a dry Saturday night, but Northern Ireland and Scotland will see precipitation with a new band of rain, which will move quickly in the early hours of Sunday.
Moving from Scotland, swathes of Wales, North West England, Yorkshire, and the Midlands will wake up to rain at 7 am on Sunday, with the same areas still wet as rain hits the South West at 10 am.
The rain is expected to be at its worst around 1 pm on Sunday, when most of the country is covered with clouds; London and the South East will be spared heavy downpours, experiencing scattered showers instead.
Showers are expected to stop for most by 10 pm on Sunday, but the heaviest downpours are forecast for that time, with some regions like Manchester and Birmingham potentially experiencing up to 32mm of rainfall per hour.
This weekend's rain offers a temporary reprieve from a historic drought, as the UK has experienced three consecutive heatwaves and the driest spring on record.
The country has battled unprecedented heatwaves, with temperatures soaring above 35C in May, June, and July.
Widespread hosepipe bans have been implemented by eight water providers, including Thames Water, as demand runs 100 million litres per day above normal levels.
Widespread hosepipe bans have been implemented by eight water providers, including Thames Water, as demand runs 100 million litres per day above normal levels.
Thames Water reports usage 10 percent higher than typical in the Thames Valley and Home Counties, and seven percent above average in the capital.
The Environment Agency has placed eight regions, including East Anglia, the West Midlands, Devon, Cornwall, and large parts of southern England, under 'prolonged dry weather' declarations.
Reservoir levels cause alarm, with six classified as 'notably low' by the Environment Agency; just 13 percent of rivers flow at normal levels for the season.
Wisley in Surrey has gone 36 consecutive days without any rainfall, a stark indicator of the parched landscape.
The Environment Agency has warned that current weather conditions impact water supplies and food production, with wildfires occurring on farmland and ponds and wetlands drying out.
Farmers have begun harvests early, and cereal yields are expected to be lower than anticipated, with reports of possible food shortages already surfacing among farmers this week.
June's heatwave alone cost the UK economy an estimated £1.15 billion, with 24 million working hours lost during the record-breaking week beginning June 22; 87 percent of those surveyed reported at least one health-related effect from the heatwave.
June's heatwave alone cost the UK economy an estimated £1.15 billion, with 24 million working hours lost during the record-breaking week beginning June 22; 87 percent of those surveyed reported at least one health-related effect from the heatwave.
Despite the weekend's rain, temperatures are set to remain somewhat subdued for the time of year, reaching highs of 23C on Saturday before dipping to 20C on Sunday.
However, temperatures are expected to be near or above normal by early August, with the warmest conditions in the south, including a 32C forecast in areas in the South East of England on Saturday, August 1.