Very Wet SW England

The unrelenting disturbed weather pattern we seem to be stuck in is bringing further problems of excessive rainfall. Yesterday it was northern and central England taking the brunt, then overnight and this morning SW England has become the focus of the heavy rains. The culprit is a slow-moving area of low pressure across the SW, with a front wrapping around the low bringing persistent and heavy rain across Devon, Somerset and Dorset. Across SW England, rainfall totals have reached nearly 40mm in the last 12 hours in some spots, with further rainfall this afternoon likely to take totals to 60-70mm in a few locations. This is leading to flooding problems, with one Severe Flood Warning for the River Yealm from Cornwood to Yealmpton, along with 76 Flood Warnings and 142 Flood Alerts across England and Wales (at the time of writing) which have been issued by the Environment Agency

The cloud and persistent rain across SW England will continue into early afternoon though should ease late afternoon and will tend to spread further east across southern counties of England by the evening. Further north across the northern Home Counties, The Midlands, East Anglia, northern England and north Wales, we will see brighter skies but also a scattering of heavy and thundery showers developing. Winds will be fairly light, so it will feel quite warm in any sunny spells across central areas, perhaps reaching 19-21C. Across Northern Ireland and central Scotland we have another band of cloud and persistent rain, this will spread north through the afternoon. Scotland also seeing problems from excessive rainfall with a number of Flood Alerts and Warnings issued by SEPA

Tonight, persistent rain will continue across north and northeast Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland. Outbreaks of occasionally heavy rain will affect SE England too, otherwise showers dying out to clear spells.

Sunday looks like staying wet across northern Scotland and rain will spread back in from the North Sea across NE England, otherwise sunny spells and heavy thundery showers will be the theme.

Next week looks like continuing changeable. Sunshine and showers across England and Wales for Monday, though perhaps dry and bright across Scotland. Widespread showers on Tuesday and Wednesday, then more general rain spreading in from the west later in the week.

Published on 7th July 2012 12:55 Updated: 7th July 2012 12:55