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UK weather: 'Taste of autumn' as Met Office issues warnings for thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds

The UK had an average rainfall of 140.1mm last month - with parts of the North West experiencing their wettest July ever. So far, August is delivering much of the same.

Connor Sephton

News reporter

Wednesday 2 August 2023 20:05, UK

Commuters carry umbrellas while crossing London Bridge in London, Britain August 2, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams
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People across the UK are experiencing "a taste of autumn" today as rail, roads and the electricity grid face a risk of disruption amid warnings of lightning.

As unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain sweep the country, three yellow weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office, amid fears that persistent and slow-moving downpours could spark flooding and travel disruption.

A warning for thunderstorms has been in place across a large part of England and Wales from 9am this morning until 7pm tonight - with forecasters warning lightning strikes could damage buildings.

Oli Claydon, a spokesman for the Met Office, said: "The rainfall comes in quite an intense downpour so we could see some surface water issues on the roads, for example."

"We could see some lightning strikes in amongst that which could cause some disruption to power services. Those sorts of impacts, and delays to public transport, are possible as well."

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Why is the weather so awful?

Some places could see 20mm to 25mm of rainfall within an hour - and in the worst-affected areas, this could rise to 40mm in just two to three hours.

Meanwhile, a warning for unseasonably windy weather is in force across coastal southern England from 4am until 6pm - accompanied by showers or longer spells of rain.

The Isles of Scilly and Cornwall were affected first, with gusts of 50mph - possibly in excess of 60mph in the most exposed spots.

They spread into other coastal areas as the morning progressed, and only eased in some areas this afternoon.

Met Office chief meteorologist Dan Suri said a deep area of low pressure is responsible for the wind and rain.

Fellow meteorologist Ellie Wilson added: "It's unseasonably windy for the start of August but thunderstorms are not unusual at this time of year.

"Thunderstorms bring with them the associated dangers of lightning and hail."

Read more: Will it stop being cold, wet and windy soon?

People caught during a heavy downpour of rain in Leicester Square, London, as the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning across the Midlands for thunderstorms and the south of England for strong winds. Picture date: Wednesday August 2, 2023.
Slow traffic in heavy rain on the M62 near Brighouse in West Yorkshire, as the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning across the Midlands for thunderstorms and the south of England for strong winds. Picture date: Wednesday August 2, 2023. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire
Image: Slow traffic in heavy rain on the M62

Looking further ahead, Met Office forecasters explained the best chance of more widely settled weather may only come in the second half of August - and even then, the risk of thundery showers will remain.

A period of prolonged or excessive heat is also unlikely, with the chance of heatwaves being lower than some recent Augusts.

Why can showers often be heavier in summer than winter?

Rainfall across the globe is determined by two things - how warm the air is and the movement of weather patterns across the world, according to the Met Office.

It says when warmer tropical air meets colder arctic air in the air mass above us, it causes large changes in weather we experience and can fuel more severe storms.

The Met Office says hotter air can hold more moisture and if the air has an unlimited water supply, like an ocean - then warmer air draws up extra moisture.

This results in clouds having more larger rain droplets and can be why showers in the summer are often heavier than in the winter.

The Met Office warns that as the climate continues to warm, the effect will increase and heavy rainfall events are expected to become more common.

On how climate change might affect the UK, the Met Office predicts the intensity of rain - how heavy rainfall is when it occurs - will increase.

In the summer, it says it could increase by up to 20% and in winter, it could increase by up to 25%.

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On Tuesday, official figures revealed that last month was the UK's sixth-wettest July since records began in 1836 - and the wettest ever seen in Northern Ireland.

The UK had an average rainfall of 140.1mm last month - and the wettest ever was in July 1988, when the average was 150.5mm.

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Some areas were more affected than others this year, with parts of the North West - including Greater Manchester and Merseyside - breaking records for their wettest-ever July.

Lancashire was the wettest of all, and recorded 234.6mm of rain last month.

Mike Kendon, of the Met Office, said: "The jet stream has been shifted to the south of the UK for much of the month, simultaneously allowing extreme heat to build in southern Europe for a time, but also allowing a succession of low pressure systems to influence the UK, with long periods of winds and rain that many more typically associate with autumn weather."

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