Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK enjoying ‘summer’s last hurrah’ before weekend of heavy rain and thunder

A ‘gentle decline’ in temperature is expected over the weekend with heavy downpours, according to the Met Office.

Rosie Shead
Wednesday 18 September 2024 17:00 EDT
A ‘gentle decline’ in temperature is expected over the weekend (Owen Humpheys/PA)
A ‘gentle decline’ in temperature is expected over the weekend (Owen Humpheys/PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The UK is enjoying “summer’s last hurrah” before heavy rainfall is expected to drench the country over the weekend, the Met Office has said.

On Wednesday, temperatures hit 25.5C in Inverness, which is 14C above average for this time of year, according to the forecaster.

Warm and bright conditions are expected to continue into Thursday after a cloudy morning – with highs of 26C in London, the weather service added.

Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: “We are being spoiled by almost summer’s last hurrah, but there’s a bit of a change coming down the line as we move our way through towards Friday, and especially the weekend.”

Currently, the UK is experiencing a period of high pressure which will move north and east throughout the week, allowing “thundery showers” to develop in southern England from Friday, Mr Stroud added.

A “gentle decline” in temperature is expected over the weekend, with highs of 24C forecast for East Anglia on Saturday followed by low 20s in the area on Sunday, he said.

Heavy downpours are expected across much of central and southern England and parts of Wales over the weekend, with the Met Office advising that weather warnings may be issued over the coming days.

So far this month, the UK has seen an average 49.5mm of rainfall – which is typical for this time of year, Mr Stroud said.

“Successive bands of rain” and “normal conditions for autumn” are expected next week, he added.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in