Will it rain today? Latest Met Office weather forecast for the UK – and how the rest of August looks

AFTER a hot, dry summer, rain is gradually returning to parts of Britain. The summer of 2026 has brought record-breaking heatwaves, with the driest July ever recorded in southern England and Wales. While some parts of the UK are getting downpours, others remain dry Credit: Alamy But if you live in the north, you’ll want to keep your umbrella handy Credit: Getty Will it rain today? While parts of the UK are bracing for downpours, some of the driest areas will miss the rain as the Met Office confirms a continued north-south split. If you live in the north, you’ll want to keep your umbrella handy for now. If you are in the south, the dry spell continues. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Temperatures have cooled towards the seasonal average after a spike earlier this week. On Thursday, the rain that hit northern England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland yesterday will move further southwards, but it is turning increasingly light and showery. While a few drops might reach eastern areas, central and southern England are expected to stay largely dry. Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: “It’s looking pretty dry for southern England. “Later on Sunday we could just get a few showers coming down from the North West. But the rain’s weakening as it comes into the South East.” Are there weather warnings in place? The yellow thunderstorm warning issued for eastern parts of Scotland expired on Wednesday night. Most read in The Sun This means there are currently no active Met Office rain warnings in place for Thursday. The increased rainfall comes after firefighters combatted wildfires across multiple locations in recent weeks, with blazes in the likes of Barr Beacon, Birmingham, Dunwich, Suffolk, and the Cairngorms. This has prompted major supermarkets, including Asda and Sainsbury’s, to pull disposable barbecues from shelves to prevent further fires. What is the Met Office’s long-range forecast? Here is the official Met Office long-range breakdown: Monday, August 10 – Wednesday, August 19 “A relatively settled start to the period, with mainly dry conditions on Monday, although with scattered showers across northern areas. “Then through the following week, more changeable changeable conditions are likely across northwestern parts, with some spells of rain and stronger winds interspersed by drier periods. “Whilst southeastern areas will generally see more settled and drier conditions. “Further into August, lower pressure may start to track further south south or east. “This means there is a greater chance of frontal systems or thundery interludes to affect southern and eastern areas in comparison to recent weeks, though rainfall amounts could be quite variable with some areas still seeing relatively little. “For the most part, temperatures look to remain above average, especially in the south, and perhaps turning very warm or hot.” Thursday, August 20 – Thursday, September 3 “The broad theme of high pressure remaining in place at least close to the UK seems most probable, with occasional more unsettled or changeable interludes, either resulting from Atlantic frontal systems or thundery plumes. “This means that rainfall amounts overall are more likely to be below normal than above. “Temperatures will probably be above average and some spells of hot weather and heatwaves are possible, especially in the south.” Comment now