Met Office issues heavy rain warning with 19 areas across UK hit on Saturday
Torrential rain is set to lash numerous regions across the UK this weekend as the Met Office forecasts a north-south split over the coming two days. Weather maps indicate heavy downpours affecting large swathes of the country on Saturday July 4, with at least 19 areas nationwide facing unsettled weather.
Southern and eastern regions will enjoy warm sunny spells with temperatures reaching up to 30C. Meanwhile, much of Scotland and Northern Ireland will encounter cloudier, breezier weather with periodic rainfall, heaviest across northwest Scotland.
The forecaster warned that the most prolonged and intense rain will be concentrated over western Scotland, particularly the West Highlands, where rainfall will be substantial at times. Eastern Scotland is expected to fare better, benefiting from drier and brighter conditions thanks to a rain-shadow effect.
Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: "We start the weekend with a lot of cloud across the north and the west Some spots of rain as far as south as the Midlands the southwest of England Wales nothing particularly heavy or persistent Rain will come and go in Northern Ireland Southern Scotland but the most persistent and heavy rain will be across Western Scotland with the rain increasingly heavy over the Western Highlands by the end of the afternoon A reasonable rain shadow developing for eastern Scotland and the far north of the mainland The rain building up across Northern Ireland Scotland Northern England and some spots of further rain south but the wettest weather will be across Western Scotland especially the West and the North West Highlands where there is a risk by the end of the weekend of more than 100mm building up"
On Sunday, widespread rain is expected across Scotland with outbreaks affecting parts of Northern England, including the Pennines and Lake District, as well as Northern Ireland. Western Scotland will see the most persistent rainfall, with the region potentially accumulating in excess of 75mm of rain by the end of the weekend.
Further south, conditions will be markedly different, with lighter winds and longer spells of sunshine helping temperatures rise. The Met Office warns that despite cloud cover, UV levels will remain high or very high this weekend.