Met Office puts four counties on alert for heavy rain on Thursday - full list

Met Office puts four counties on alert for heavy rain on Thursday - full list Rain is expected to sweep over the UK overnight on Thursday, less than a week after a heatwave saw the country reach record June highs of 37.7C Heavy rain is forecast in parts of the UK overnight on Thursday, just days after a heatwave saw the country reach record June highs of 37.7C. The Met Office says outbreaks of rain, "heavy at times", will move in from Wednesday evening. The forecaster's weather maps show rain affecting much of Wales, eastern and central Scotland, south-west England, large parts of northern England and scattered areas of Northern Ireland. Heavy rain, indicated on Met Office maps in yellow (4-8mm/h) and orange (8-16mm/h) bands, is expected across parts of north-west England, particularly in and around Lancashire, accompanied by strong winds. The downpours will likely ease by morning. On Thursday, conditions are set to be mostly cloudy. Patchy rain will clear during the day, leaving largely dry weather with some sunny spells. It will stay windy in the north-east, with cooler conditions in the north-west and warmer temperatures in the south-east, the weather service said. List of counties expected to see heavy rain on Thursday: - Lancashire - North Yorkshire - Greater Manchester - Gwynedd Cloud and rain is also expected in northern England from Friday to Sunday. Conditions will be fine and dry further south, with temperatures gradually rising with strong sunshine, the Met Office said. It comes after a heatwave that saw the UK break its June temperature record for three consecutive days, with 37.7C recorded in Lingwood, Norfolk, on Friday, June 26. A number of other weather stations also exceeded the previous record of 35.6C, which was set on June 28, 1976, and June 29, 1957. Last week also saw Wales set a new June daily maximum temperature record, with 35.9C recorded at Bute Park, Cardiff, on June 25. Northern Ireland equalled its warmest June day on record with 30.8C at Castlederg on June 25, matching the record set on June 30, 1976. Met Office chief forecaster Andy Page said at the time: "This exceptional heat has been unprecedented for June and is another marker on how climate change is shifting the dial on temperature extremes in the UK."