The Met Office has issued yellow thunderstorm warnings covering northern England, Northern Ireland, eastern Scotland and north Wales, cautioning that heavy downpours could trigger flash flooding, travel delays and power cuts. The alerts took effect on Wednesday 20 August 2026, with forecasters warning that homes and businesses in affected areas could be inundated as the wet weather moves through, and the risk of disruption is continuing into Thursday morning.
In Northern Ireland, the warning ran from midday until 23:59 BST on Wednesday. Eastern Scotland, including Aberdeen, was covered between 14:00 and 21:00 on the same day, while the warning for northern England and north Wales, taking in cities such as Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne, began at 19:00 on Wednesday and remains in force until 10:00 on Thursday morning. On Thursday, the heaviest downpours will affect northern England and north Wales during the morning before showers drift southwards and eastwards, reaching other parts of Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and southern England later in the day.
How severe could the rainfall be?
According to the Express, the Met Office updated its warning on the same day to note that slow-moving showers and thunderstorms could deliver 15 to 20 millimetres of rain within a single hour, with totals of 30 to 50 millimetres possible over six hours in the worst-affected spots, alongside a risk of lightning and hail. A separate report from the national weather service's forecasting team said the heaviest downpours were likely to move slowly, raising the chance of localised flooding and transport disruption, particularly in places that had gone days without significant rain. The Met Office's own national forecast similarly indicates that Wednesday night's showers will be heaviest and most widespread across northern England and north Wales, with thunder still possible, according to the Met Office. Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to see showers too, though these should be less intense with a lower chance of thunder.
Why has the weather turned after such a dry spell?
The storms follow almost two months of largely dry conditions across the UK, with some regions only recording their first meaningful rainfall in weeks on Tuesday. The shift forms part of a broader change in the weather pattern, with low pressure now taking control after a summer largely dominated by high pressure, allowing unstable air beneath it to build the storm clouds responsible for the torrential downpours, hail and thunder.
The current warnings echo earlier bouts of extreme weather this summer. In June, Scotland saw thunderstorms and flash flooding follow its hottest day of the year, while southern England experienced overnight storms and flooding as a heatwave pushed temperatures towards 40C. More recently, Northern Ireland was placed under a thunderstorm alert while forecasters weighed up a potential fourth heatwave of the season, and earlier this month thunderstorms and cooler weather brought an end to a UK heatwave with warnings in place for Northern Ireland and north-east Scotland. That followed a period in which high heat across England and Wales was forecast to ease before a more unsettled, cooler spell, a pattern that appears to have now materialised.
How is the disruption affecting drivers?
Motoring experts have warned that wet weather following a prolonged dry spell can create hazardous driving conditions. RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said oil, fuel and rubber deposits that had built up on roads over many weeks would now be mixed together by the light rain rather than washed away, increasing the risk of vehicles skidding on greasy surfaces.
"Oil, fuel and rubber deposits that have built up over many weeks will now have been mixed together by the light rain, instead of being washed away, which means drivers are at greater risk of skidding on greasy roads. If heavier rain arrives, motorists may have to contend with the danger of flash floods in some areas."
Drivers are being advised to reduce their speed and leave extra space between them and the vehicle in front.
Will the drought end soon?
Even with rain returning, experts have cautioned that the drought affecting large parts of the UK will not immediately come to an end. A sustained period of persistent rainfall is needed to replenish water stocks, and it may not be clear until later in the winter whether that has happened. Most areas have seen rainfall well below normal this summer, with some locations enduring a two-month dry spell, though conditions have not been uniform everywhere: Aultbea in the Scottish Highlands has recorded 389.6mm of rain so far this summer, more than one and a half times its seasonal norm and only 10.2mm short of its wettest summer on record.
What happens next?
Forecasters expect the showers to ease from the northwest during Thursday morning, according to the Express, meaning the disruption should be shorter-lived in those areas even as the northern England and north Wales warning remains active until 10:00 that day. Temperatures are also set to fall, with Thursday afternoon expected to bring highs of 13-23C, marking the first day since 29 June that no part of the UK is expected to reach 25C. Friday is forecast to be cooler still, with temperatures widely remaining below the August norm and overnight lows dropping into single figures, potentially reaching 3-4C in parts of Scotland and northern England. Daytime temperatures are expected to recover a little over the weekend as high pressure tries to build, bringing less rain and more sunshine. The Met Office has also stressed, in guidance issued on 19 August 2026, that people should take action now to stay safe from the impacts of severe weather, according to official warnings and advice. A Met Office outlook published on 17 August 2026 had already suggested the wetter, more unsettled pattern would continue through the week, according to a Met Office blog post, while a separate outlook notes that rainfall is expected to build most noticeably across Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and higher parts of northern and western England, according to the Met Office's week-ahead outlook.
Key Facts
- Northern Ireland warning: midday to 23:59 BST on Wednesday 20 August 2026
- Eastern Scotland, including Aberdeen: 14:00 to 21:00 on Wednesday
- Northern England and north Wales, including Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne: 19:00 Wednesday to 10:00 Thursday
- Possible rainfall: 15-20mm in an hour, up to 30-50mm over six hours
- Follows almost two months of dry weather across parts of the UK; Aultbea, Scottish Highlands, has recorded 389.6mm this summer
- Thursday afternoon highs of 13-23C expected, the first day since 29 June without 25C anywhere in the UK
