Met Office forecasts rain in north and west as south stays dry

The Met Office released its UK weather forecast for Friday, warning of rain across northern and western parts of the country while the south stayed largely dry. Scotland, Northern Ireland, and north-west England were all expected to see wet conditions, though rainfall would be light in most places. One exception was Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, where rain could fall at up to 8mm per hour. Temperatures varied considerably, with the East of England and South-east England forecast to reach 28°C, while northern regions would be around 20°C. Thunderstorms were predicted to arrive Friday night and continue into Saturday. The unsettled weather followed record temperatures in May, when Kew Gardens recorded 35.1°C. A new heatwave was expected to build in the following week.