Tuesday 25th August
Monday gave us a very pleasant day with strong sunshine, between the breaks in the variable cloud, that resulted in a maximum of 22.6C at 15.04, which was exactly 1C above the late August average. The past night was mild, the warmest for five nights, with a low of 13.0C at 05.21.
Tuesday arrived with welcome sunshine to start the new day, muted at first due to variable cloud on the eastern horizon, that resulted in the thermometer climbing to 15.9C by 08.00 making it the warmest start to a new day at that time since the 18th.
The current rain radar shows much rain over Devon and Cornwall and some near Bristol. However, crossing the Channel towards the south coast, arriving from the south east, is a large area of broken shower activity. At the moment the likely track takes this west of our area, so a dry day is likely.
The current and forecast pressure charts show a complex picture of low pressure systems moving towards the UK over the next few days. At the moment, the nearest is over the Bay of Biscay and is currently edging towards the UK with another towards the northwest. Various weather fronts from the disturbed area will be pushed across the UK, amounts of precipitation are difficult to predict. At the moment, the consensus of opinion is that up to the weekend any precipitation will be in the form of light showers. However, there is the possibility of heavy, more prolonged and thundery showers over the weekend as the areas of low pressure coalesce and close in on the country.
Headlines in the press this past month have highlighted the extreme temperature for the UK of 30C, and its frequency this year and over recent years. Once again I have analysed my data over three five-year periods to examine the local situation. Between 2011 and 2015 there were just five days when 30C was reached or exceeded, from 2016-2020 there were 19 days and from 2021-2025 a total of 28 days, a clear rising trend over that period of 15 years. This year so far there have been 19 days when 30C was reached or exceeded. The peak this month was 35.9C on the 13th being a significant 14.3C above my long-term August average.
Thunderstorm warnings issued as warm and humid conditions give way to heavy rain and thunderstorms
Author: Met Office
14:07 (UTC+1) on Tue 25 Aug 2026
Yellow warnings for thunderstorms have been issued for parts of England and Wales on Wednesday and Thursday, as warm and humid conditions bring an increasing chance of heavy showers, thunderstorms and longer spells of rain.
Many areas will see further warm and dry weather on Tuesday, with temperatures widely reaching the mid to high 20s Celsius across England and Wales. However, isolated showers and thunderstorms across southwestern parts are expected to become more widespread and develop across England and Wales from Tuesday evening and overnight into Wednesday. This brings the potential for longer spells of rain and heavy, sometimes intense downpours, frequent lightning and localised disruption.
On Thursday, widespread slow-moving heavy and thundery rain is expected to spread north across the UK, bringing the potential for prolonged periods of rainfall in some areas. These areas could therefore see significant rainfall totals over several hours, increasing the likelihood of localised impacts from heavy rain and thunderstorms.
Met Office Chief Forecaster Steve Willington said: “As we move into Wednesday there is a growing risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms, with warm and humid air helping to trigger heavy showers and thunderstorms. Some places could see significant amounts of rain falling in a short period of time, bringing the potential for localised flooding, travel disruption and frequent lightning.