Sunshine to give way to showers

Showers are forecast to sweep across parts of the UK this week as temperatures plummet.

The Met Office has forecast temperatures in the high teens and low 20s for much of England and Scotland over the next few days, falling from the joint-record for the year so far, recorded at 32.2C in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on Sunday.

With the cooler weather will come cloud and a risk of showers which could develop into thunderstorms throughout Wednesday and Thursday.

The weather front is expected to sweep from west to east, hitting the north of the country with rain, the agency said.

It comes after yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms were introduced across eastern Scotland and the North East on Sunday.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said: “Over the next week what we are seeing is a transition into a fresher and cooler regime.

“It could be the high teens in Scotland and north of England, which is not cold by any stretch – just not as warm as recently.

“On Wednesday there is a front of rain moving through Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland and West Wales, moving from west to east, and there will be rain towards much of the northern half of the UK.

“There’s a chance of some heavier showers in that band of rain (and) there’s a chance of thundery activity as it moves to the south east.

“Some isolated spots of western Scotland could get 40mm in the day on Tuesday, with around 20mm likely for many in the north.

“Wednesday and Thursday’s rain could bring 40mm to some spots in the southeast, with around 20mm possible more widely.”