Showers, at times thundery, will continue through the middle of this week. From Wednesday, the heaviest and most frequent showers look most likely to occur in the northwest of England, as well as Northern Ireland and parts of northern Scotland.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Andy Page said: “The UK is predominantly under the influence of low-pressure, which is continuing a showery regime, with some potentially heavy and thundery showers possible at times through the week.

“While not everywhere in the UK will experience the heaviest downpours, it will remain an unsettled and relatively cool period, in stark contrast to the heat we experienced in June.”

Further rain to come

After a largely showery working week, a change in the jet stream – which is a core of winds high up above the Earth’s surface – will once again influence a likely wet and windy Friday and weekend for many.

Speaking in the Met Office’s exclusive YouTube series ‘Deep Dive’, Met Office Meteorologist and Presenter Alex Deakin said: “What we’re seeing with the jet steam is this shift more towards being directed towards the UK from the southwest, which is helping to push low-pressure systems towards the UK.

“Ahead of the weekend, the jet stream is looking to be relatively strong and, as well as bringing a period of some more persistent rain for many, it’s also bringing some strong winds and continuing this fresh period of weather.”

Low pressure through the weekend is likely to shift from the southwest towards the northeast, bringing some persistent rain for many as it moves across the UK. There’s a chance warnings may need to be issued closer to the time, once the track of the system is more clearly defined in the forecast.

How unusual is this weather?

After a record-breaking June of high temperatures, July so far may have felt like a bit of a stark contrast for some. However, despite somewhat cooler-than-average conditions in the first week, temperature figures from 1 to 9 July are relatively close to average overall.