Brits have long wait until heatwave: Exact date July downpours expected to end
10 July 2023, 12:28 | Updated: 11 July 2023, 13:15
Large parts of the UK were hit by heavy rain over the weekend, with the Met Office warning it is going to get worse before it gets better.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue to at least July 23, meaning Brits have a wait on their hands before a long-awaited heatwave.
"A mostly unsettled picture across the UK for much of this period, with a mixture of sunny spells and showers, but also the potential for longer spells of rain from time to time," a spokesperson for the Met Office said.
"Some of the showers will likely be heavy and thundery at times.
"As well as the wet weather, the UK is also set to experience cooler temperatures in comparison to those earlier in summer."
"With time, low pressure is forecast to become centred to the northeast of the UK, with higher pressure trying to edge in from the southwest", they added.
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"Given this synoptic set up, it will often be breezy, although winds may be light towards northeastern areas at first, meaning showers will be slow-moving here.
"With the airmass predominantly originating from the North Atlantic, temperatures will often be on the cool side for the time of year."
On Tuesday, rain is expected to clear from the southeast, while the North will be hit by sunny spells and showers.
The unsettled weather is set to continue through until Friday, with periodic showers hitting parts of the UK.
A yellow weather warning was in place between 11am and 8pm on Sunday, covering millions of households in south-west England and Wales, as well as Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, swarms of flying ants were spotted on and around the south coast of England over the weekend.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: "Every year around this time we do pick them up on the rain radar. At the moment it’s harder to tell because we’ve got so many showers and the ants look like showers.
"When we do get the rain, they don’t fly as much. It’s generally the southern parts of the UK where we tend to notice it most."
He added: "They were picked up on the radar on Friday. It was much drier and it was easier to spot them. They can be seen several miles across – they look like very heavy showers. On Friday it was about a mile."
