UK weather: Torrential rain and thunder to end the week

Torrential rain and thunder will bring a wet and miserable end to the week for large parts of the UK, forecasters say.

Britons flocked to beaches and beauty spots through the week to make the most of good weather as temperatures peaked at 25C in the southeast.

But an area of low pressure that has been lingering over the north will continue moving south as the week progresses, bringing a change to the weather for most by Saturday.

Thursday will get off to a damp and cloudy start, with rain heaviest in the north of England.

“Through the day we’re likely to see outbreaks of rain going across the northern counties of England – that’s where it’s going to be more focused,” said Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir.

“However, there may be some patchy rain and drizzle across the West Country and Wales too, moving towards to south as well as the east.”

Parts of southern Scotland and Northern Ireland could also see showers on Thursday. These will ease off going into the afternoon, with a chance of some sunshine.

“In the north, generally a better day than Wednesday so we’ll see temperatures slightly higher – 20C perhaps for Aberdeenshire,” Ms Nasir added.

Southern and eastern areas can expect more in the way of cloud, with some patchy showers. Temperatures will be generally in the low 20s, with highs of 24C expected in the southeast.

Friday looks set to be “a quieter day all round”, the Met Office said. During the morning it will be dry with sunny spells for the vast majority. A few showers are possible in the far northeast of Scotland as well as southern parts of England and Wales.

It will become cloudy later in the west with rain and strengthening winds in Northern Ireland. Temperatures could struggle to get above 19C in Plymouth and Newcastle, with highs of 24C forecast for London.

“Going into the latter part of Friday and into Saturday there will be a change in the weather,” Ms Nasir added. “The weather front which is coming in for the weekend is going to produce some torrential rain in places.

“As we head through Saturday there’s a risk of thunder, perhaps even hail mixed in there. Some showery bursts of rain affecting many areas.”

Despite the wetter weather, temperatures will remain relatively unchanged for much of the country. Liverpool can expect highs of 19C while the mercury could hit 21C in Norwich.

Sunday will be mostly dry with sunny spells for many southern and eastern areas. There will be showers across Northern Ireland and western parts of Scotland, England and Wales.