Drier conditions are forecast for many parts of the UK by midweek, following heavy rain on Tuesday. However, this pattern of wet weather followed by drier spells is expected to continue as further low pressure systems approach from the Atlantic.
Last week was the wettest for England since early February, according to the Environment Agency. While no prolonged dry spell is immediately forecast, some models suggest conditions could become more settled by the end of next week.
An area of high pressure will move in from the west on Wednesday, bringing a brief return to dry, settled conditions. Temperatures will be lower than at the weekend, with some areas in eastern inland Scotland and north-east England seeing temperatures between 5 and 8C. Most other areas will experience temperatures between 8 and 12C, peaking in the high teens to low twenties Celsius with sunny spells.
The largely settled conditions on Wednesday are expected to be short-lived. As the high pressure retreats eastwards, another area of low pressure will bring cloud and rain on Thursday. The rain will move south-eastwards across England and Wales on Thursday night, clearing Kent and East Sussex by Friday morning. By Friday, the whole of the UK will again turn drier, with early cloud in the south-east clearing to sunny spells.
Another weather front is expected to approach from the north-west on Friday night, bringing more rain to Scotland and Northern Ireland on Saturday. This wet weather is forecast to reach England and Wales by Saturday evening.
Recent rainfall has helped improve river flows, soil moisture deficits, and environmental conditions across much of England, according to the Environment Agency. However, reservoir storage and groundwater levels continue to decline. The Environment Agency predicts that if rainfall averages through the autumn and winter, most of England will be in recovery from drought or return to normal conditions by spring 2026, though Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire may remain in prolonged dry weather.