UK weather forecast: Thunderstorms expected TODAY as temperatures plummet - latest news
GETTY The UK is set for a two-day thunderstorm
The mercury will start to fall tonight as Britons still glowing from the scorching weather are warned to wrap up for frosts. Thermometers will plunge to low single figures by the weekend as overnight lows of -2C (28.4F) grip Scotland and the north, forecasters warn. Torrential downpours over the next three days will dump more than an inch of rain in parts triggering a splattering of flood alerts. Stormy weather from the Atlantic will arrive as sun-tans start to fade after the near record April heatwave. The Met Office has warned of a very unsettled week ahead as high pressure responsible for the glorious spring weather is booted away by low pressure and weather fronts from the west.
GETTY Stormy weather is set to batter the UK over the next few days
These will bring lightning, hail and some really quite heavy downpours which could occur anywhere really over both days. John West
Meteorologist John West said: “There is a real risk of thunderstorms across the whole of the UK on Wednesday and Thursday and this is the real point of [the weather] over the coming days. “These will bring lightning, hail and some really quite heavy downpours which could occur anywhere really over both days. “Tomorrow is also when we see a cooler airmass cover the whole country with temperatures then expected to drop off through the week.” Unsettled weather will roll in from the Atlantic today with central and western regions braced for the heaviest downpours. Southern Britain will hold onto milder temperatures as the mercury starts to nosedive from the north, experts say.
Mr West said Britain will be split into three zones over the next 24 hours – Showery and sunny in the north; rainy and grey across central England and cloudy and mild to the south. He said: “High pressure sat over the UK which brought us the warmer temperatures at the weekend is now being won out by the momentum of the Atlantic. “We are now at the mercy of the Atlantic bringing a series of weather fronts across the UK leading to a much more unsettled picture. “We are likely to see 30mm [1.2 ins] of rain over parts of Wales over the next 24 hours “A showery Polar maritime airmass will also bring much lower temperatures.” Britons hoping for a return to the warm weather in the next week will be disappointed with a dreary weekend on the cards, he warned.
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He added: “There is a big question mark over this weekend, however we currently think the north will remain showery with some sunshine as the weather turns much more unsettled in the south. “We expect to see wind and rain spreading across the region and this could put a big dampener on people’s weekend plans. “Generally the weather is looking very changeable.” Daytime temperatures in southern Britain will hover around 15C (59F) or 16C (60.8F) over he next couple of days as the north nudges into single figures. Thermometers will dip to freezing overnight in the north with lows of -2C (28.4F) by the weekend threatening a touch of frost and the odd wintry shower over the hills.
GETTY Lightning, hail and even snow could hit the UK