Top News

Forecasters have predicted the exact hour this weekend when the UK's recent glorious sunny weather is set to abruptly end. Britain has suffered the according to the , leaving some with tinder-dry fields, and wildlife on moors and country parks struggling for water.

And new red-hot from Netweather heading our way for the end of May and beginning of June, reaching peaks of 27C (80.6F) in the southeast of England. But before then Met Office charts warn that this weekend will see thundery showers and heavy rainfall - and they suggest the gloomy break in the will be 2am on Saturday 24th May in the southwest of d.

It follows a huge wet weatherfront sweeping from the Atlantic, across Ireland on Friday night and then hitting Wales and England on Saturday morning - although there are no severe Met Office weather warnings currently in place.

Deputy chief Met Office meteorologist David Oliver explains: "We'll see a change in conditions this weekend as weather systems move in from the Atlantic.

"These will bring rain and windier conditions from the west later Friday, which will spread across the whole of the UK on Saturday. Some heavy rain is expected, especially in the northwest later on Saturday when winds will also strengthen, bringing a risk of coastal gales in the north.

"These strong winds will continue on Sunday as an area of low pressure passes the northwest of the UK. Blustery showers are expected on Sunday, which will be heaviest and most frequent in the northwest. Conversely, the south and southeast may well see a good deal of dry weather.

"Wind will be a watchpoint for Sunday, especially across Scotland where there is some uncertainty on the exact track of the low and its associated wind speeds, so keep up-to-date with the forecast as it evolves over the coming days."

It comes despite there being mostly sunny skies across the UK today, with a beautiful sunrise captured in Glastonbury, Somerset.

The early sun shone through the Glastonbury Tor - which is mentioned in myths linked to King Arthur - at around 5:10am. There were pleasant conditions with highs near 9C (48.2F) and a gentle northeast breeze as dawn broke in the southwest.

And Brits have a couple more days of sunny skies to enjoy before Saturday's the cooler, wetter weather creeps in.

The temperatures will reach a high of 22C (71.6F) in parts of the southwest, with an equally high and dry forecast tomorrow with 23C (73.4F) expected.

This week the Daily Express revealed new red-hot maps from Netweather that warn of more scorching heat heading our way for the end of May and beginning of June.

In total, 45 counties of metropolitan districts in England and Wales will see the mercury reach at least 23C (73.4F) - with some as far north as North Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

The hottest areas on 31st May are London and the south east where dark red on maps show the temperature will rocket to 27C.

But that 27C also runs up the spine of England, through Nottinghamshire to West Yorkshire and even as far north as York and Harrogate in North Yorkshire.

And although 1st June is slightly cooler, the capital will remain at 27C at the height of the day, making travel around London unbearable for some - especially the vulnerable.

The Met Office currently does not forecast exact temperatures quite so far in advance - but it was revealed today that a new £1.2bn supercomputer will soon be used to create more accurate weather forecasts. Equipment will be capable of calculating quadrillions of calculations every single second.

The Met Office's chief information officer Charles Ewen said: "People ask how a bigger computer improves the weather forecast.

"One big thing this new computer will allow us to do in the near future is to be able to produce 14-day forecasts with a similar kind of accuracy than we can today for seven, eight, nine days."

The Met Office's long-range forecast for the period between Sunday 25th May until Tuesday 3rd June, predicts humid weather but also warns of wetter weather in the west of the British Isles.

It reads: "A much more unsettled period than of late with the whole of the UK likely to see showers or some longer spells of rain, but also some drier and brighter interludes. For Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday it's likely a story of sunshine and showers.

"The showers will be heavier and more frequent in the west where it may also be windy, especially across the northwest. The east, especially the southeast may well see a good deal of dry weather.

"The rest of the week then sees further frontal systems run into the UK, bringing more widespread rain at times, but again some drier spells in-between these. Temperatures will probably be close to average, perhaps slightly above at times, but will feel fairly cool in the often strong winds."