The Met Office has issued a forecast predicting torrential rain across 19 areas of the UK this Saturday, July 4, as a north-south split divides the country. While southern and eastern regions enjoy warm, sunny spells reaching 30C, much of Scotland and Northern Ireland will experience cloudier, breezier conditions with periodic rainfall, heaviest across northwest Scotland.
Rainfall Concentrated in Western Scotland
The most prolonged and intense rain will be concentrated over western Scotland, particularly the West Highlands, where rainfall will be substantial at times. Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern explained: "We start the weekend with a lot of cloud across the north and the west. Some spots of rain as far as south as the Midlands, the southwest of England, Wales, nothing particularly heavy or persistent." He added that rain will come and go in Northern Ireland and southern Scotland, but the most persistent and heavy rain will be across western Scotland, increasingly heavy over the Western Highlands by the end of the afternoon.
Rain Shadow Effect for Eastern Scotland
Eastern Scotland is expected to fare better, benefiting from drier and brighter conditions thanks to a rain-shadow effect. McGivern noted: "A reasonable rain shadow developing for eastern Scotland and the far north of the mainland." The rain will build up across Northern Ireland, Scotland, Northern England, and some spots further south, but the wettest weather will be across western Scotland, especially the West and North West Highlands, where there is a risk of more than 100mm accumulating by the end of the weekend.
Areas Affected
The Met Office map identifies 19 areas likely to be hit by heavy downpours: Wick, Inverness, Fort William, Aberdeen, Perth, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Argyll, Caithness, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Yorkshire, Carlisle, Plymouth, Cornwall, Cumbria, and Lancashire.
