July has been wet and chilly across much of the UK, with temperatures falling below or just at the seasonal average.
Some parts of the country, including Loftus in North Yorkshire and Northolt in London, have already had more than twice the average rainfall for July.
It has not been a washout everywhere though. Some northern and western areas, including Castlederg in Northern Ireland and Machrihanish in western Scotland, have been comparatively dry and seen only about 20 to 25% of their average July rainfall.
Northern Ireland is a lot drier compared to last July, which was its wettest on record.
The cool and wet July across much of the country has been a result of the jet stream – fast-moving wind high in the atmosphere – being positioned predominantly over or to the south of the UK.
In the next few days, the jet stream will shift to the north – allowing a plume of hot air from northern Africa and Spain to bring in a few days of sunshine for some parts of the UK.
Over the weekend, however, a thundery breakdown in the east will lead to temperatures dipping back to average, and cooler weather for all of the UK by Sunday.
Expect some showers and longer spells of rain next week, especially in the north and west.
