The UK is likely to experience a sharp contrast in weather over the weekend, with people in northern areas told to prepare for torrential rain and possible flooding, while temperatures could reach 25C in the south.
The Met Office has issued amber and yellow rain warnings for large parts of Scotland and northern England from Saturday to Sunday morning.
“For the south of the UK, we’ve got slightly ridged conditions and higher pressure bringing a more settled day with a fair amount of sunshine around,” said the Met Office’s spokesperson, Oli Claydon. “[It will be] dry for pretty much everyone in the southern half of the country and unseasonably warm temperatures as well.
“As we get into the very far north of England and into Scotland, that’s where the difference starts, with some persistent and heavy rain across Scotland and most notably in western Scotland, where we’re likely to see the highest totals.”
A yellow rain warning covering much of Scotland, active from midnight on Saturday to 6am on Sunday, could bring rainfall of 50-75mm in low-lying areas and close to 100mm on higher ground.
Within that is a separate and more severe amber warning, covering central Scotland, Tayside and Fife from 3am on Saturday to 6am Sunday. The Met Office said as much as 150-180mm of rainfall could accumulate in the wettest spots.
Ruth Ellis, the flood duty manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, said flooding and widespread transport disruption were likely.
Scotland’s transport minister, Fiona Hyslop, said: “It’s important people plan their journeys before they set off. Motorists should make sure their routes are available, follow the travel advice from Police Scotland and drive in accordance with the conditions. If you are planning to travel by train, ferry or plane, please check with your operators to see if the conditions are having any impact on your services.”
Temperatures in south-east England could reach 24C on Saturday, with the Midlands and Wales also remaining sunny. The fine and settled conditions were expected to continue into Sunday, though with slightly more cloud and hazy sunshine, and high temperatures more widespread across central and southern areas of England, Claydon said.
Rainfall in Scotland was likely to move northwards through Sunday, with dry and cloudier conditions expected. Claydon said temperatures in Scotland would not climb higher than 13C on Saturday and 16C on Sunday.
