UK weather forecast: Heavy and thundery showers to hit the UK after stormy weekend

The heavy downpours and fierce winds experienced over the weekend are waning, but most of the UK is set to experience more rain and blustery weather.

The next couple of days are likely to bring “disappointing” temperatures and showers to much of the UK, although they will be interspersed with sunny spells, the Met Office said.

“Unlike the persistent rain of the last few days, the weather will be unsettled, with hit-and-miss showers sweeping across the UK,” said Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst.

“Many places could manage to stay dry, but if you catch a shower it’s likely to be a heavy one, with some thunder and possibly hail.”

The Met Office has withdrawn all its warnings for thunderstorms and rain, but showers are expected to dump up to 30mm of water where they do fall.

After a fresh start, showers will develop along southeastern coastal regions in the morning – while skies should be drier and brighter elsewhere.

But frequent and heavy showers are expected to hit the rest of the country later in the afternoon, especially in the northwest of England.

Winds are expected to wane slightly, but gusts could still hit peaks of up to 30mph or 40 mph in the southern parts of England and Wales.

“The showers will ease a bit overnight, and it’s going to be a chilly night, with temperatures falling well into single figures,” said Mr Dewhurst.

Maximum temperatures are expected to be in the high teens in the north of the UK and perhaps 21C in the far south, which is very similar to the average highs for this time of the year.

But minimum temperatures could reach 4C in Scotland and 6C in England, Mr Dewhurst said, although cities will be warmer.

The showers will again gather strength on Tuesday, although they will be heavier in the east compared to the west, and the rain will become more persistent and permanent on Wednesday.

The downpours might contribute to local flooding and disrupt travel, with the Environment Agency putting in place one flood warning and 18 alerts across England.

In Keswick, the weekend’s heavy rainfall made Derwentwater lake levels rise, bringing flooding to the low-lying areas near the lake and the frontage of the Keswick Camping and Caravan Club Site will be affected. The Environment Agency expects lake levels to remain high until later today.

In Carlisle, river levels are beginning to fall, although they may rise again depending on the rain.

The persistent downpours over the weekend cause Network Rail to temporarily close the West Coast mainline between Carlisle and Lockerbie, with passengers on board five trains trapped on the tracks.

The Caledonian Sleeper, which travels from London Euston to Fort William, is not expected to run between Edinburgh and its final destination until 22 August due to lasting damage caused by the flood.

The heavy rainfall caused severe disruption over the weekend elsewhere too.

Other lines, including routes into Birmingham, Swindon and Derby, were disrupted by the heavy winds as fallen trees blocked rail services.