UK weather: Exact date rainstorms will drench Brits after Bank Holiday scorcher
While most Brits are set for a scorcher today there will be pockets of rain in some western parts - but the pleasant weather will come to a sharp halt on Wednesday when heavy rain, hail and thunder are expected
Brits up and down the country will be heading out to enjoy the sunshine today as the Bank Holiday mercury soars into the high 20s - but how long will it last?
Temperatures are expected to rise to 29C today, making the British Isles hotter than the Canary Islands. But some areas are likely to see some rain while the rest of the country basks in these roaring temperatures. A band of rain, which could be heavy at times, will start in Northern Ireland in the afternoon before moving across western coastal areas through the evening. By tomorrow, the weather front could become heavier with a risk of thunder in some parts.
The Met Office said: "Today it will be warm or very warm for many, with plenty of sunshine. Cloud increasing in the far west during the day, with rain arriving across Northern Ireland late afternoon and western fringes of the rest of the UK by evening. Rather breezy.
"Tonight, a band of rain, heavy at times, will move eastwards through the evening and overnight. Scattered blustery showers following, most frequent in the west. A warm night in the east.
"Tomorrow will be a day of sunny spells and scattered showers. Showers most frequent in the northwest, some heavy with the risk of thunder. Generally cooler, but still feeling warm in the sunshine."
The outlook from Wednesday to Friday looks even worse, as the national forecaster predicts "frequent showers", which are "heavy at times, with hail and thunder".
GFS model weather maps show a huge band of rain engulfing the west coast of England, Scotland and Wales with as much as 3-5mm of rain falling per hour at midday on Wednesday.
But today, temperatures are expected to be well above average for this time of year. The UK will not only be warmer than Tenerife - but Barcelona too. The mercury is only expected to peak at 27C in Barcelona.
"It is going to get warmer, generally getting sunnier as well, so by the time we get to Monday, I think we will see more blue skies generally," Alex Deakin, meteorologist with the Met Office, said. He also alluded to the remnants of Hurricane Erin, likely to bring stormy conditions to our shores this week.
Along the eastern US coast, Erin continues to generate life-threatening rip currents. Rough seas are expected to persist for the next few days, despite the storm remaining well offshore.