Bank holiday weather: Gales and thunderstorms after weeks of drought

After weeks of heatwave comes the thunderstorm

Bank holiday weather, day by day

On Saturday, several zones of heavy showers sweep across England and Wales.

Some could be torrential and thundery, especially in the southern half, and in northern England they are likely to merge into longer spells of rain in the afternoon.

Given the downpours already this week, parts of the Midlands and northern England are more susceptible to flash flooding.

JOE previously reported that the Met Office had named 13 areas facing heavy rain as the flood risk rose.

Meanwhile, Much of Scotland and Northern Ireland will stay dry.

Sunday may start dry and bright, with mist and fog in central and northern areas.

Northern parts see the early showers this time, before another zone of heavy, thundery showers sweeps in from the west in the afternoon.

East Anglia and south-east England may stay dry until late, and the south-east might get lucky again on Monday.

Not a total washout

Most areas will still get drier, sunnier moments, and north and west Scotland may see very little rain at all.

The BBC's advice is to check the hourly breakdown in your weather app, because showers can be tricky to forecast.

It all follows weeks of scorching heat and drought, a summer which JOE has covered, with the Office for National Statistics recording thousands of heat deaths in England since 1988.