Exact date one month of rain will fall in UK as Met Office warns 'disappointing' summer set to continue
20 July 2023, 08:06 | Updated: 21 July 2023, 15:17
This is the exact date parts of the UK will be hit by a month's worth of rain as the country's disappointing summer continues.
While Europe has been baking in extreme temperatures, with warnings of a record-breaking 50C, the UK's summer has been much more unsettled, with spells of rain and thunderstorms.
According to medium-term forecasts, around 60mm of rain could fall in a period across Saturday and Sunday.
Stephen Dixon, a spokesman with Met Office, told the Mirror: "There is no real change forecast to the type of weather we've got now - sunshine and showers.
"What we've got this weekend for many is showers. I think the main weather watch this weekend is persistent rain, particularly in western areas and parts of the north of England."
This roughly translates to around 75 per cent of a typical month's rain.
It comes amid scorching temperatures in Europe, with a number of countries experiencing temperatures above 40C.
While it remains "feasible" that 40C comes to the UK, it is still unlikely this summer, according to the Met Office.
There is currently "no forecast signal" for temperatures to hit 40C in the UK, though it is likely to get warmer towards the end of August, according the Met Office's Grahame Madge
"There is no forecast signal for temperatures to reach last year’s threshold this year," Mr Madge said.
"The chance of reaching 40C is around one per cent, so it is unlikely in any given year, but of course, it remains feasible."
Well, is it going to get better in August? Apparently not.
The Met Office long range forecast reads: "August is likely to see further unsettled conditions at first.
"Showers are expected to be the predominant form of precipitation, but some more prolonged spells of rain are also possible, which could result in rainfall totals being above average for the time of year.
"By the middle of the month, more settled conditions are likely, causing the showery regime to be reduced.
"Temperatures are generally expected to be around average for the time of year, perhaps becoming a little warmer by the end of this period."
High temperatures in Europe are being driven by settled conditions under an upper ridge sat across the continent - pushing temperatures up.
There are also "unusually high" surface sea temperatures, exacerbating the effects of the heatwave.
But, according to the Met Office, the southern shift of the Jet Stream that has pushed the high pressure southwards across this region has also led to low pressure systems being directed into the UK, bringing more unsettled and cooler weather.
