
UK weather: Rain 'expected every day next week' after unusually dry month
The UK is "expected to see rain every day" next week following an unusually dry month, forecasters have warned.
Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said that "most parts of the country will see rain most days" after rain fell in parts of the UK for the first time in more than 30 days.
Most areas saw 5-10mm of rain fall on Friday night, while 15-20mm of rain were recorded in the northwest of England and parts of Scotland.
Ms Mitchell said that "wet conditions" will continue, as bands of rain and scattered showers are pushing in from the west each day.
On Sunday, showers will be "heavy and blustery at times", with a risk of thunder across Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Met Office said.
Heavy winds are predicted for Saturday night into Sunday, with winds potentially reaching 50mph in some northern areas.
Ms Mitchell said the south of England could see drier and sunnier days on Sunday and Monday.
The start of the week is forecast to see spells of rain and showers at times across the UK, with temperatures mostly reaching 15-18C next week, with highs of 22C in the south of England.
Areas of Scotland like Aberdeen will only reach 14C, while temperatures in London could hit 21C on Wednesday and Thursday.
Ms Mitchell said the changeable weather is set to last a week, adding that drier and more settled weather could return after the school half-term, which runs until 2 June.
The UK's unusual dry spell this spring saw 8.5mm of rain until May 23, which is only 12% of the monthly average, according to Ms Mitchell.
"Last night's rain won't have brought May much closer to average. That being said, we still have a week left of May and we expect to see rain every day, so by the end of the month we could be closer to the monthly average," Ms Mitchell said.
Places like Leuchars, in Fife, and Bradford, West Yorkshire, had not seen rain for 34 and 31 days respectively until Friday night.

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