Wednesday 30th September
Although the sunshine on Tuesday was disappointingly limited, the flow of warm air from Europe pushed the thermometer to a maximum of 23.8C at 13.42, which was 4.8C above average. The temperature stayed high all night with a minimum of 17.8C at 04.26, which was a significant 8.3C above average but also only just below the average maximum for September.
During the afternoon the cloud thickened and a sudden squall arrived with intense rain for about one minute at 15.05. The very brief peak rainfall rate was 78mm/hour but the total precipitation was just 1.6mm. The intense narrow band of rain was not evident on the radar at 14.00 but suddenly, just before 14.30, a shower erupted to the south over the Salisbury area, and very quickly formed a narrow band of sharp activity that quickly moved north across central southern England.
Wednesday arrived dull and gloomy at dawn when moisture could be felt in the air but not measurable or enough to wet the ground, as we were in between two larger areas of rainfall to the west and east. The deep depression to the north west produced the cloud and precipitation with the barometric pressure falling to its lowest all month with a reading of 1006.8mb at 06.03 early Wednesday, hence the gusty winds.
The deep depression to the northwest will edge further north towards Iceland and begin to fill as the higher pressure to the east continues to act as a buffer. They say nature abhors a vacuum so it is no surprise that the forecast charts indicate a ridge of high pressure pushing in from the southwest as Thursday progresses that will dominate our weather up to and including the weekend. This will see a return to fine days and maximum temperatures staying above average. There appears to be no likelihood of rainfall during the next few days.
Deep Dive: How a Pacific hurricane could influence the UK’s weather
Author: Met Office
Tue, 29 Sep 2026
The remnants of a hurricane thousands of miles away may help shape the UK’s weather this weekend.
The connection involves tropical thunderstorms, changes in the jet stream and a weather front whose development remains unusually uncertain.
Before looking ahead, it is worth reflecting on the exceptional warmth experienced across the UK at the end of September. Temperatures reached 28.1°C at Kew Gardens on Tuesday, placing conditions towards the upper end of what would normally be expected at this point in the year. Although not record-breaking, the warmth was notable both by day and overnight, with minimum temperatures of 18°C or 19°C possible in places.
The warmth is being drawn northwards ahead of a large area of low pressure to the west of Ireland. This low is pushing the jet stream to the south while bringing unusually warm air across the UK. Cloud, rain and strong winds are preventing the air mass from reaching its full temperature potential, but conditions are still well above average across much of England and Wales.