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The is braced for a deluge of rain later this month with temperatures also set to drop. According to WX Charts, the nation will be battered by downpours on Friday, May 23.

maps show a band of rain spanning across the UK, from Land's End in Cornwall to the North Sea. expect up to 5mm of rain to fall per hour in some areas of the nation. The Scottish Highlands will be the worst affected region while Glasgow will also be battered by downpours.

Maps from WX Charts expect the heavy rain to arrive at 12am on May 23. The band of rain will first hit western areas of the UK, including west Wales, Belfast and Scotland.

At this time, between 3mm and 5mm of rain will fall per hour in parts of Scotland. Meawhile, Northern Ireland will be hit by rain falling at a rate of 2mm per hour.

The band of rain will then shift east and hit major English cities by 6am. Forecasters expect Plymouth, Cardiff, Birmingham and Newcastle to see up to 1mm of rain fall per hour at this time.

According to the Met Office long-range forecast, which runs from Sunday, May 18 until Tuesday, May 27, there is a "risk of thunderstorms" across the nation. The forecaster said: "There is an increasing chance that conditions will turn more unsettled from late next week though, as areas of rain and strengthening winds threaten from the west and/or south (the latter bringing a risk of thunderstorms)."

Meanwhile, temperatures are also expected to drop on May 23. A map from WX Charts shows the mercury dropping as low as 9C in London at 12pm, while it will be 8C in Brimingham and 10C in Manchester at the same time.

The Met Office forecast said the heavy rain will "most likely to be accompanied by temperatures dropping nearer to average for the time of year."

Met Office 5-day forecast for the UK Headline:

Dry and settled, Scattered showers in the southwest.

Today:

Dry, sunny, and warm for many today. Southwestern England will have sunny spells with afternoon showers, possibly heavy with thunder. Low cloud near North Sea coasts will move south. Warm in sunshine, cooler along eastern coasts with a breeze.

Tonight:

Dry with long clear spells, low cloud with some patchy mist developing near some North Seas coastal areas, and this spreading into parts of the Midlands. Cooler than recent nights.

Thursday:

Largely dry, warm, and sunny. Any low cloud will lift and break but may linger around eastern coastal counties at times, where it will feel cooler with an onshore breeze.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

Remaining settled and largely dry, warm and sunny. Low cloud will linger around some eastern coastal counties at times, where it will feel cooler with an onshore breeze.

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