The Met Office Wales weekend rain forecast says heavy and persistent rain will move into Wales from the south-west around 4pm on Sunday. By 10pm, most of the country is expected to be seeing rain, with the wet spell continuing overnight.
That is the first meaningful rain in over a month for Wales, after weeks of heatwave conditions and dry weather. The timing matters because this month is expected to be the driest July in Wales on record, and fire chiefs have warned that the very dry ground has raised the risk of wildfires.
North Wales and the Upper Severn
Natural Resources Wales triggered drought status in North Wales and the Upper Severn on Thursday, after last week’s declarations made those areas the first in the UK to officially reach that status this summer. The forecast now points to downpours across much of Wales, with the north expected to take the heaviest rain.
That leaves people in places already under drought status facing a sharp shift from a long dry spell to an overnight band of rain. A serious wildfire in Blaenavon has been burning for over 10 days, and smoke from that fire has been visible for miles.
Wales on Sunday afternoon
Wales is expected to stay largely dry until Sunday afternoon, with just a few isolated showers before the main band arrives. Wednesday is described as the wettest day of the month so far, but heavy rain is not forecast then; scattered showers may be heavy in isolated areas and are expected to ease through the day.
Thursday is due to start cloudy with the odd spot of rain before turning mostly fine, with a maximum temperature of 22C, and Friday is forecast to stay largely dry with only a few small isolated showers. A true change in the weather is expected at the start of August, but for now the immediate question is how much rain falls where once the Sunday band arrives.
