The Met Office heavy rain warning comes after last week’s warm spell, with temperatures set to drop by as much as 8C in parts of the UK. The change brings showers, colder nights and a sharper autumnal feel from Tuesday into Wednesday.
Forecasters said some parts of the northeast of the UK could feel a 15C chill on Tuesday, while daytime readings were expected to be closer to 15C in parts of the north and 20C across the south. The Met Office also said many people were likely to wake to frost in their gardens in the next few mornings, and its maps on X showed parts of Cumbria and south Wales dropping to around 2C overnight.
Met Office maps on X
The Met Office said northerly and easterly winds would drive the colder air in, with low single figures expected in the countryside under clear skies. It said sheltered glens of Scotland could see a touch of grass frost by dawn, while northern Scotland could fall to around 5C.
Patches of mist and fog could also form across rural areas. The shift follows Friday’s 23.3C high and turns quickly from the heatwave feel of last week to a spell that will be much closer to average for early autumn.
Nick Finnis on Bank Holiday
Nick Finnis wrote that unsettled conditions were likely to linger through the Bank Holiday weekend, with low pressure close to the UK bringing spells of rain or showers, sunny spells and drier interludes. He also said there was no sign of a heatwave before the end of the month.
Finnis said the low-pressure system behind the recent heavy showers and thunderstorms had moved on over Scandinavia, but the cool northerly flow in its wake would still bring scattered showers across England and Wales. He said the heaviest rain was likely across Wales, parts of the Midlands and the Northwest of England on Tuesday, before rain reached the East of England on Wednesday morning.
Chris Wray in Lincolnshire
Chris Wray from Lincolnshire said one farmer had decided not to plant crops on a third of his land, about 200 acres, this autumn because it would mean making a loss. He said many people were thinking the same way and described farmers as having a head down approach, trusting that things would come right.
The rain will ease pressure in drought-hit areas even as it brings showers, colder conditions and the risk of frost. For anyone in Wales, the Midlands, the Northwest of England and the East of England, the immediate shift is less about a single wet burst and more about several days of changeable weather that will need planning for commuting, outdoor work and travel.
