Britain is set for a super soaking this week, with forecasters warning that rain will keep the start of summer cool and blustery before temperatures lift again at the weekend. Tuesday, June 9, looks especially turbulent, with hail, thunder and lightning in the mix before another band of rain sweeps across the country on Thursday.
That is why the weather is back on the radar today: people want to know how long the wet spell will last and when warmer conditions return. Craig Snell said London is hinting at 24C on Saturday, with the south potentially reaching 24C or 25C and the north edging into the high teens, a noticeable jump after a changeable week.
Forecasters said a band of rain, heavy at times, will move gradually south-eastwards across the UK, followed by a spell of sunshine and showers that will be widespread and heavy through Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday will then bring another band of rain and strong winds from the west, before Friday turns showery again. Through the working week, temperatures are expected to sit around 17C to 18C in the south and 15C to 16C in the north.
The pattern matters because it is arriving after a run of unsettled weather, not in place of it. The Met Office’s three-month summer outlook, released on 1 June, pointed to a number of heatwaves over the next few months, and this week’s cool, wet spell sits awkwardly beside that warning. For readers thinking about packing, commuting or plans outdoors, the message is simple: summer is not settled yet, even if the weekend starts to feel more like it.
There is also a more practical pressure point underneath the forecast. Thames Water saw a sharp rise in demand during last month’s heatwave, and it said more than one billion litres of extra water were used over the bank holiday weekend compared with the same weekend in 2025. If the warmer air does arrive this weekend, even briefly, the people asking for sunshine may also be the ones driving up water use again. The unanswered question is how long that warmer spell lasts after Saturday, because forecasters are only tipping the start of another hot run, not the finish.
