Londoners are facing a wet journey to work and school on Wednesday morning, as rain lashed the country.
The capital has narrowly escaped a yellow weather warning that is in place for the majority of England, Wales and Scotland on Wednesday and Thursday.
An amber rain warning is also in place for part of northern England, north Wales and the Midlands, taking in Liverpool and Manchester.
Rain is still set to fall steadily in London throughout most of Wednesday.
The downpours will continue into the night before clearing up by the early hours of Thursday, says the Met Office, with the end of the week expected to be drier and brighter.
The Met Office predicts the weekend will feel warmer, with sunshine and temperatures reaching around 21C on Saturday and Sunday.
Heavy rain will make for a very wet commute for some of us on Wednesday morning, the rain becoming focussed across the Midlands, northern England and parts of Wales by noon⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) May 21, 2024
Bright spells and scattered showers developing elsewhere with these heaviest in southern England🌦️ pic.twitter.com/HTxXr8Sgsv
Some light rain is predicted on Sunday evening, but otherwise the Spring Bank Holiday weekend is looking largely dry.
The area around Manchester, Liverpool and Bangor in Wales is expected to get the worst of the deluge hitting the UK on Wednesday.
The Met Office has put an amber alert in place for the area from midday on Wednesday until midday on Thursday, warning: “Rain will become heavy and persistent later Wednesday and Thursday with flooding and disruption likely.”
Elsewhere, the majority of England and Wales is under a yellow weather warning for rain which is in place until 6am on Thursday.
Another yellow rain warning comes into place at noon on Wednesday for Scotland, covering the south and east of the country, which runs until 6pm on Thursday.
⚠️⚠️ Amber weather warning issued ⚠️⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) May 22, 2024
Rain across north Wales and northwest England
Wednesday 1200 – Thursday 1200
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfS950
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/WRgSvwK74z
The southern coast of England is also set to get battered by the elements, with a separate yellow thunderstorm warning in place until 6pm on Wednesday, from near Salcombe in Devon to near Rye in East Sussex.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “Some areas are really going to see a lot of heavy, persistent rain through a big chunk of Wednesday. It is going to be a pretty wet picture as we go through the rest of the week for many places.
“There is some uncertainty as to exactly where we are going to see the heaviest rain and where is most likely to be impacted.”
The forecast says heavy and, in places, prolonged rainfall is expected from an area of low pressure arriving from the east, which has brought downpours to parts of central Europe.
Many places could see 30-40mm of rain, while a few areas may receive 60-80mm as heavy rain moves northwards throughout Wednesday. The Met Office said there is a small chance a few upland areas could see up to 150mm.
In addition to the thunderstorm warning, which also includes scattered showers and the threat of spray on the roads and sudden flooding, the south of England could see heavy, thundery showers which could bring 30-40mm within three hours.
