The Met Office has said that this summer is on track to “almost certainly” be the warmest on record, but the end of the season is likely to be dominated by “unsettled and changeable” weather.
Whilst this year’s summer has been largely defined by settled and warm conditions, the Met Office has predicted that summer will end with “unsettled and changeable” weather.
Although the Met Office has disclosed that this summer is set to “almost certainly” become the hottest summer on record, weather experts have indicated the season will likely conclude on a “wet and windy note” for much of the UK.
With meteorological summer officially drawing to a close on Sunday, August 31, the Met Office has issued warnings of an “unsettled” weekend featuring “spells of rain and showers”.
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Met Office weather charts seem to display a massive belt of rainfall moving across the UK on Saturday, continuing into the early hours of Sunday morning and signalling summer’s end, reports the Manchester Evening News.
David Oliver, Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “A deep area of low pressure will develop close to the UK on Saturday and track northeast over the weekend, bringing wet and windy weather for many.
“While the exact track and depth of the system is still a little uncertain, at present it looks likely that we’ll see gusts in excess of 50mph in some areas during Saturday and Sunday, especially across coasts, headlands and high ground. In addition to these gusty winds, 10-20mm of rain is likely across many regions, with higher totals over hills in western areas.”
Met Office rain maps reveal a band of rainfall set to strike parts of south west England and Wales, along with southern areas of Northern Ireland, at around 1pm on Saturday. The rain band is then predicted to travel north westerly across the UK throughout Saturday afternoon.
By 4pm, Met Office weather charts indicate the rainfall will blanket large swathes of Northern Ireland and Wales, plus regions of south west England including Plymouth and Exeter. As the day progresses, Met Office maps show the rain moving north westerly to engulf vast areas of England and Scotland.
The Met Office predicts that by 7pm on Saturday, major parts of the UK including Cardiff, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh will be drenched by downpours.
Rain is then forecast to sweep further east later on Saturday, affecting locations such as Cambridge, Norwich, Hull and Dundee around 10pm. Into Sunday’s early hours, the rain band will persist in its eastward journey, with precipitation still affecting some regions. Whilst Saturday will be dominated by wet weather for many, the Met Office predicts “some brightness” will emerge on Sunday to conclude meteorological summer.
Looking ahead to next week, “changeable” and “at times unsettled” conditions are anticipated, with the potential for “showers” or “longer spells of rain”. These predictions follow the Met Office’s confirmation that the UK experienced “below average” rainfall this summer, after enduring the driest spring in more than a century.
The longer range forecast for September 11 and beyond says: “Low pressure patterns are expected to dominate at the start of this period, bringing changeable weather conditions with showers or some longer spells of rain. Conditions may begin to turn more settled and drier later in the period, particularly in the south. Temperatures are likely to be close to average, perhaps turning warmer later in the period.”
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