Met Office Rain List shows Atlantic rain crossing the UK Thursday
The met office rain list points to Atlantic rain spreading across the UK on Thursday, with wet weather and blustery winds moving into several regions. Wales is set for the wettest conditions, while southeast Britain should turn wet by lunchtime as the front advances east.
Thursday Rainband
An Atlantic low pressure system will slide north of Scotland from Iceland to Sweden, hampering high pressure building over southern Britain. The same system will send a cooler flow down the North Sea, even as there is still potential for temperatures to rise into the high twenties Celsius and even pass 30C.
High cloud was already appearing from the Atlantic ahead of the rain. Heavy showers were forecast to develop widely through Thursday morning inland, and thunderstorms were expected as surface heating steepens low to mid-level lapse rates.
Temperatures on Wednesday were expected to sit around 14 to 17C, after eastern Britain and Shetland had a fine start to the day with sunshine. Later on Wednesday, eastern counties were expected to see the most showers and hefty downpours.
Wales And Southern Britain
Wales was forecast to have a wet Thursday, with heavy rain over the mountains and western counties. Blustery wet conditions were also expected around the Irish Sea and for southwest Britain on Thursday morning, while southeastern Britain was expected to be wet by lunchtime.
The blustery winds were expected to veer from southerly to westerly through the day. First thing on Thursday, the frontal rain was not expected to have reached northern Scotland or Norfolk and Suffolk, leaving those areas outside the first wave of wet weather.
Scotland And Northern Ireland
The main rainband was expected to move from northwest England and western Scotland across more of Scotland into the evening, bringing a wider grey and damp picture as it shifts east. Overnight, Northern Ireland was expected to turn wet with a southerly wind.
The greatest CAPE values were expected towards eastern England and eastern Scotland in the afternoon, and that is where the greatest risk of thunderstorms was forecast. A village in Aberdeenshire had already turned white under hail on Tuesday, a reminder of how unsettled the pattern has become.
The weekend warmth is still possible, but the Atlantic low pressure system has reduced confidence in how strong that surge will be. For readers in the wetter zones, Thursday looks like a day to plan around showers, heavier bursts and changing winds rather than any lasting dry spell.
