Warm spell on the way says Met Office

After an unsettled, damp start to the week for parts of England and Wales it looks as though we could get a glimpse of summer weather as temperatures rise, the Met Office has said.

However, locally heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast for today

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Matthew Lehnert detailed the warning, saying, “There is a Met Office rain warning in force for northern England and northern Wales today as a low pressure system eastwards moves across the country.”

“Within the warning area, many places will see 20-30mm of rain, with a few isolated spots possibly seeing around 60-80mm of rain over the course of the warning.” He added that while it will be drier for many by Tuesday.

Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Harris commented on the warmer weather, stating, “A general warming trend is expected through much of this week, as the weather settles down for a time.

Whilst some southern areas are already likely to reach the mid 20s by Wednesday, it’s not until Thursday that the warmer weather will become more widespread, with parts of Scotland also reaching the low 20s.”

Friday and Saturday are anticipated to see the warmest weather, with low to mid 20s widely expected, and a peak of 29C most probable in the southeast.

Harris also hinted that the odd 30 Celsius might occur on Friday in the southeast.

The welcome warmth, however, comes with caveats. A frontal system arriving into the west and southwest later on Friday could bring thunderstorms, leading to a very muggy night in the southeast overnight into Saturday.

The mixed weather conditions are set to continue on Saturday, with the rain moving northeast, and relatively warm conditions then shifting into northern areas.

Slightly cooler and largely cloudy conditions with a few showers are expected to follow in from the west, though it will likely remain warm in the far east and southeast.

The temperature is anticipated to decline closer to average on Sunday and into early next week, with a small chance of a renewed pulse of hot continental air in the southern half of the UK.