Downpours, hail and thunder to batter 38 UK areas on Wednesday - see full list

Downpours, hail and thunder to batter 38 UK areas on Wednesday - see full list The Met Office has warned 38 areas across the UK will be soaked by heavy rain on Wednesday with showers spreading from early morning and a chance of hail and thunder in places Heavy rain, hail and thunder are set to cause disruption throughout Wednesday, forecasters say. Some 38 areas, including north Wales and parts of the Midlands, will be worst hit by the band of low pressure sweeping in from the west. The unpleasant weather will remain for the rest of the week for most of the country, with last month's heatwave a distant memory. Weather maps, issued by the Met Office, show large swathes of blue across the UK throughout Wednesday. Forecasters with the group believe storms are likely, including across the Northwest of England in the morning. Temperatures will be below average too, the meteorologists say. The mercury plunged to 12.6 °C in Malham, North Yorkshire, on Monday. Last month, the mercury exceeded 30C across large parts of the country as the UK baked in a glorious heatwave. But by around 2pm on Wednesday, rain will be widespread, extending to blanket almost the entire UK. The most intense rainfall on the radar looks set to hit parts of central England, where up to 16mm could come down, reports the Express. Elsewhere, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire could receive around 8mm of rain, while south Wales faces a soaking of 4mm. Radar imagery suggests yellow and orange rain echoes are also likely across parts of Scotland. The enormous band of rain will have shifted to engulf Dorset, Hampshire and West Sussex. Humberside can expect between 2-4mm of rainfall. London remains one of the few areas not predicted to experience heavy rain, though isolated showers remain a possibility. By 4.30pm, the rain will have largely cleared from Wales, Devon and Cornwall, and the West Midlands. Nevertheless, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk are set to bear the worst of the heavy downpours, with up to 8mm of rain anticipated. Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will all continue to experience scattered showers throughout the day. Conditions are expected to brighten towards the latter part of the week, with some areas in the south potentially reaching 26 to 28C by Sunday. Deputy Chief Meteorologist David Oliver said: "Over this weekend, the weather will become drier and more settled as high pressure begins to build. It will turn warmer with temperatures above average for many." The 38 UK areas forecast heavy rain on Wednesday England - Lancashire - Cumbria - Greater Manchester - Merseyside - Cheshire - Yorkshire - Derbyshire - Nottinghamshire - Staffordshire - Leicestershire - Warwickshire - West Midlands - Worcestershire - Gloucestershire - Oxfordshire - Berkshire - Buckinghamshire - Hertfordshire - Greater London - Essex - Kent - Surrey - Hampshire - Devon - Cornwall Wales - Ceredigion - Carmarthenshire - Bridgend - Cardiff - Rhondda Cynon Taf Northern Ireland - Armagh - Londonderry Scotland - Highland - Argyll and Bute - Moray - Aberdeenshire