UK weather

Headline:

Sunshine and showers next few days. Cooler than of late.

Today:

Rain will soon clear from the far southeast of England, whilst gradually easing across northern Scotland. Otherwise Wednesday will bring sunshine and showers. Showers locally heavy, especially in the north where hail and thunder possible. Generally cooler than of late.

Tonight:

There will be a mix of clear spells and showers overnight, the showers heaviest and most widespread across northern England and north Wales. Chilly in some rural parts of Scotland.

Thursday:

Thursday will be another day of sunshine and showers. The focus for the heaviest showers will transfer south to England and Wales. Thunder possible. Feeling cool in the northerly breeze.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

Sunshine and showers on Friday, though showers gradually easing. A cool northerly wind. Becoming mostly fine this weekend with sunny spells. Isolated showers at first. Patchy rain in north later.

This period is likely to start largely dry and settled across the UK, as a ridge of high pressure sets in. A few showers are likely in the far north and possibly the far southeast though. Conditions look like turning increasingly unsettled through next week, as low pressure gradually becomes dominant, squeezing the ridge off to the northeast. Most places are likely to see some rain or showers, particularly during the second half of next week, and these may be heavy with a risk of hail and thunder. It may become breezy if not windy at times too. Temperatures are likely to be near or a little below normal overall, with some chilly nights at first, but brief warm, humid spells are possible at times, especially in the south.

As we move into the start of meteorological autumn, it looks like it will start rather unsettled. However, signals for the prevailing weather patterns affecting the UK soon become weak, with something close to the climatological norm becoming most likely. This means a broad northwest-southeast split in conditions, with higher pressure becoming centred close to the south of the UK and lower pressure towards the north or northwest. The north and northwest will probably see the lion's share of the rain and any strong winds, whilst the south and southeast will probably see the driest and sunniest weather. Temperatures are likely to be a little above average overall. There is a chance that late season hot spells or heatwaves develop, especially in the south.