UK weather forecast: Rain, fog and gales set to hit Britain as temperatures drop

Flood alerts remain in place ahead of wet and windy weekend forecast

Britain will be hit by fog, rain and gales this week, as colder autumn weather arrives.

Rain will fall throughout Wednesday in parts of southeast England, with heavier showers expected in the southwest.

Other areas will be dry, with fine clear spells and overnight temperatures are likely to be mild.

“It will be fairly mild, around 7C in London, though northern, more isolated areas could see temperatures down to 4C,” said Nicola Maxey, a Met Office spokesperson.

“Up around Carlisle, conditions could go down to freezing and a few parts of Scotland might see lows of -6C. But overall, quite mild.”

Thursday will see fairly similar conditions though Halloween trick-or-treaters may be affected by patchy rain in southwest Britain.

The rain will spread to Northern Ireland and possibly to western Wales and Scotland later in the day.

Conditions will be relatively warm and are expected to reach highs of 8C in the southeast.

Hill fog will also develop in the southwest, while eastern regions will escape the worst of the weather and will be mainly dry.

“For much of the country, it will be dry,” Ms Maxey said.

“Some people out for Halloween might be affected by rain, depending on how late their celebrations last.

“A low pressure front pushes in from the west by 6am on Friday, bringing wet and windy weather with it. So people should experience a change.”

The weekend will be significantly damper, with rain and misty conditions widespread across southwest England by Friday.

Conditions will worsen by Saturday, when heavy rain begins and gales sweep in.

The Environment Agency currently has 31 flood warnings and a further 41 flood alerts in place for England.

River levels caused concerns last weekend, prompting local authorities to set up flood barriers in several towns along the River Severn.

Patchy night frost is also expected to develop on Friday night in some areas.

“Friday is a transition into that wet and windy weekend,” Ms Maxey said.

“Over the weekend, the rain pushes west and there may be potentially gale force level winds.”

The unsettled autumn weather is likely to continue across the country into next week, according to the Met Office.

Additional reporting by agencies