Strong winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms will persist into the weekend

The Met Office has said that the UK will continue to experience unsettled conditions over the coming days, with a mix of heavy rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds affecting many areas.

Wednesday will see bands of rain and showers will move northeast across much of the country, becoming increasingly heavy and locally thundery.

While there will be some limited sunny spells in between, a more marked clearance is expected later in the day across western and southwestern regions.

These areas will also turn windy, with a risk of coastal gales developing. Temperatures will remain rather cool for the time of year.

On Wednesday evening there will be heavy rain which will clear north-eastwards leaving blustery showers which could turn thundery near western and southeastern coasts.

Thursday will be windy in the northwest and there will be spells of rain in northwest of Scotland, elsewhere there will be a mix of sunshine and showers.

There could be a risk of hail and thunder in western areas, temperatures will be slightly below average for this time of year.

Friday will be breezy with showers in western coastal areas overnight and will become more widespread during the day.

In some places showers will be heavy with isolated thunderstorms merging with bands of rain.

Paul Gundersen, Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said, “We have been monitoring a deepening area of low-pressure over the North Atlantic that might bring impactful weather to the UK, most likely on Sunday and Monday. At present, a named storm is unlikely.”