More than 180 areas of the UK will see rain on Tuesday as downpours bring the country’s sunny summer to a temporary halt.
The Met Office is forecasting rainfall in every part of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland across Tuesday (August 4), with the vast majority of England also set to see precipitation.
Its forecast, issued at 4am on Monday (August 3), said: “Outbreaks of heavy rain in the north today with a risk of thunder. Scattered showers in the south with the odd thunderstorm. Very warm and humid. Windy in the north.”
However, temperatures will remain high on Tuesday for drier areas, like the south east, where the mercury will reach 28C. Experts also believe a wet couple of days will be followed by more sunshine.
The Met Office forecast added: “Rather unsettled in the north over the next few days with rain or showers. Some showers in the south at first, but turning drier from Thursday.”
Weather maps show rain will hit 181 council areas across the country, including all 32 in Scotland, all 22 in Wales, and the 11 comprising Northern Ireland.
In England, 116 council areas out of 153 will see some form of rain. The heaviest rain will fall in the afternoon in the north of England, with ‘more than 32mm’ of precipitation — the Met Office’s heaviest rainfall rating — expected in the Yorkshire Dales and in Lancashire.
Heavy rain should also be seen in Cornwall, Devon, Newcastle, and the Scottish Borders on Tuesday evening. Much of the rain comes in the form of a band of cloud moving northeastwards, followed by multiple scattered showers.
Temperatures will remain fairly typical for August. Belfast is expected to see 23C, Cardiff and Manchester 25C, Edinburgh 20C, but London will be warmer with 28C.
The following areas are expected to see rain at some point during Tuesday, August 4.
Lothian & Forth Valley: City of Edinburgh, West Lothian, Midlothian, East Lothian, Stirling, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire
East Coast & South: Mid and East Antrim, Newry, Mourne and Down, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon
South West Wales: Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot
Merseyside: Liverpool, Wirral, Sefton, St Helens, Knowsley
Lancashire: Lancashire, Blackpool, Blackburn with Darwen
Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness
Cheshire: Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, Halton, Warrington
Tees Valley: Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar and Cleveland, Hartlepool, Darlington
South Yorkshire: Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, Barnsley
North Yorkshire: North Yorkshire, York,
East Yorkshire: East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull
Lincolnshire: North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire
Staffordshire & Shropshire: Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin
Wiltshire & Dorset: Wiltshire, Swindon, Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Devon & Cornwall: Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, Torbay
Sussex & Kent: West Sussex, East Sussex, Brighton and Hove, Kent, Medway
Thames Valley & Surrey: Surrey, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, West Berkshire, Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell Forest, Windsor and Maidenhead, Slough
Outer London Boroughs: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Waltham Forest
Leicestershire & Northamptonshire: Leicestershire, Leicester, North Northamptonshire, West Northamptonshire
Essex: Essex, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock