UK weather: Thunder and rain likely to washout weekend before autumn arrives

Humid air moving northwards to bring thunderstorms over weekend

Thunderstorms follow several days of high temperatures (PA Wire)

Much of the UK could see thunderstorms this weekend before autumn weather arrives next week, the Met Office has forecasted.

Some areas in the south, however, will receive a blast of summer heat if they avoid the showers as temperatures remain high.

National severe weather warnings are possible as humid air moves northwards, bringing the risk of thunderstorms, the Met Office added.

While the southern areas are expected to get a dry start on Saturday, the north will remain cloudy.

There is also a threat of showers forming in the south and west with the chance of thunder, but with the day proceeding it should be dry across the country.

Humidity could make for an uncomfortable night in the South, but in parts of rural Scotland, clear skies could result in frosts and temperatures dropping below zero.

Rebekah Sherwin, the deputy chief meteorologist, said: "The notable change in our weather occurs through Saturday evening as increasingly humid air moves up from the south bringing thunderstorms and heavy downpours.

"These heavy showers and thunderstorms will spread across much of the UK through the day on Sunday with nowhere immune from the chance of seeing them."

According to the Met Office, temperatures of 27C are possible in the south east, but in the north it will feel cooler, with temperatures staying in the mid-teens.

In rural Scotland, there is a chance of frosts with temperatures dropping to minus 1C overnight.

On Monday, the country is expected to receive heavy and thundery showers before next week the temperatures return to the average for the time of year, and it will “start to feel fresher, and much more autumnal”.

But even as this week remains cooler than the last, when the UK saw a seven-day heat spell, the longest ever recorded for the month of September.

In its long-range forecast, the Met Office said warm air will clear by early next week, making way for more showers, some of which can be heavy and thundery. The north and the west are likely to experience the wettest conditions, it added.

The forecaster said the weather this month will generally stay unsettled but “further warm spells are likely at times during sunnier intervals”.

“Generally windy, with risk of coastal gales at times, especially in the north.”