UK weather: Weekend temperatures set to plummet alongside heavy downpours

Met Office warns the rain that hit the south of England on Friday will be heading north with a possible flooding risk to Northern Ireland

Localised flooding could come to Northern Ireland as the wet weather moves north (PA file photo)

Up to a fifth of February’s average rainfall is set to hit parts of Britain on Monday.

The Met Office said Monday could see up to 20mm of rain and gusts of around 50mph, particularly in the west, or up to 60mph in Scotland, thanks to weather moving in from the Atlantic.

The west, Wales and the North West through to the South West are among the areas that will see wet weather.

Forecaster Emma Sillitoe said: “It will be heavy rainfall for the day and it will affect most of the country as the rain will be moving slowly eastwards.”

She said 15 to 20mm of rainfall is expected on Monday where the long-term local average is about 100mm for February.

“It is about a fifth of rainfall for the month in one day,” she said.

Wales could get gusts of 45mph to 50mph while the Scottish coast could see winds of 55mph to 60mph.

It can be traced back to weather moving in from the Atlantic that will be a “quite a slow-moving” system.

The rain is set to move away by Tuesday but it will linger around the east coast and the winds will not be as strong.

Forecaster Mark Wilson described the weekend’s weather as a “north-south split”.

“The north of the UK will be blustery with some further heavy rain and some hill snow,” he said.

“In the south of the UK, apart from a few showers, it will be a much drier day to come with lighter winds and some sunny spells.”

He said as Saturday and Sunday progress, “temperatures are going to start to fall”.

“In the last couple of days, they have been quite mild, but by Sunday daytime, highs will range between 5C (41F) and 8C (46.4F),” said Mr Wilson. “It will be noticeably colder.”

PA