Midweek's drenching storms to spoil dry spell for Wales and South West England

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist

August 16,2016; 9:23PM,EDT

 

 

A dry start to the week will be replaced by drenching storms and the chance for flash flooding across Wales and South West England on Wednesday night.
High pressure that settled over the United Kingdom this weekend will shift into the North Sea early this week, continuing the pattern of dry, settled weather throughout the country into early on Wednesday.
The summery temperatures will also continue, with highs across England reaching 2-3 degrees C (4-6 degrees F) above normal in the afternoons. Sunny spells are expected throughout the country.

On Wednesday afternoon, dry weather will persist for most of Scotland and northeastern England, but a change will come to Northern Ireland, Wales and southern England.
Despite the mild air, showery weather will sneak into these regions late on Wednesday.
"A cold front will bring a corridor of heaviest rain from the Isle of Man to the southern coasts of South West England for late on Wednesday afternoon," AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
"Showers and thunderstorms will have the best chance to be heavy during the evening," Roys said.
In this heavier period, rainfall rates could be as high as 12 to 25 mm per hour (0.50 to 1.00 inch per hour), leading to flash flooding problems.
"Although issues should remain very isolated, there is the potential for a spot or two to pick up as much as 50 mm (2 inches) by Thursday morning," Roys said.
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Low-lying and poor drainage areas will be most likely to get a quick rise in water levels. Ponding on roadways will also be possible into late Wednesday night.
Those with outdoor plans Wednesday for the late afternoon and evening will want to keep a close eye on the weather. This includes those heading to Millennium Square in Bristol, where many can sit in the outdoor Fan Zone and watch Team GB compete in the the last week of Olympics events in Rio.
By Thursday morning, some showers will linger across the region, but the heaviest rain will have ended. Other places in southern England, including London, can expect intermittent showery weather throughout the day.
Another round of showery weather will spread from southwest to northeast across the United Kingdom on Friday and during the weekend.
Temperatures are expected to return to near or slightly below normal during the wet weather.