UK weather maps show exact date just 8 counties dodge 600-mile rainstorm

The fluctuating weather patterns that have dominated the UK this summer are set to continue, with temperatures dropping to the single digits as a rainstorm hits the country this month. Weather maps from WXCharts show a barrage of wet and chilly weather descending across a 600-mile stretch of the country on August 27, covering all but eight counties, from the northern Highlands down to Plymouth in the southwest. The disruptive conditions could begin to set in from midday on August 27, forecasts suggest, with the heaviest rainfall concentrated around the East Midlands and southern Scotland.

The only areas expected to be exempt from the rainstorm are Aberdeenshire, Somerset, Middlesex, Kent, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. While the UK is currently in the throes of its fourth summer heatwave, with temperatures hovering around 30C, the upcoming weather front could see the mercury drop to as low as 5C in central Scotland and around 10C in parts of England.

The rainfall is forecast to continue for over 24 hours, intensifying to around 3mm per hour in northern England on August 28 while largely moving away from southern regions.

Although the rainstorm will mark a departure from the hot and sunny weather experienced by most of the country earlier this month, it is only the latest changeable pattern recorded this summer, which has been marked by sweltering highs and disruptive deluges.

The Met Office issued yellow thunderstorm warnings for a large stretch of northeastern Scotland and eastern Northern Ireland on Thursday, even as heatwave conditions continued, warning of difficult driving conditions, potential disruption to power supplies and public transport and a flooding risk.

The forecaster's predictions for the remainder of the month are similarly characterised by potential turmoil, ushered in by areas of low pressure making in-roads from the Atlantic.

Its long-range forecast for August 19 to August 28 suggests: "This brings an increasing possibility of stronger winds and rain, some of which could be heavy and thundery, especially for southern and western areas, but this perhaps becoming more widespread with time."

The Met Office's expectations for the period between August 29 and September 12 also warns of "unsettled conditions with showers or longer spells of rain", with "heavy and thundery rain and strong winds" possible. Temperatures, it says, will largely remain above average, however, with a chance of intermittent hot spells in the south.