Sunnier weather is expected across parts of the UK for the rest of the week as the country hopes to recover from a cool and rainy start to the summer, forecasters have said.

The Met Office said conditions are set to improve after a disappointing start to July saw yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms and rain issued on Wednesday and “terrible” weather blamed for low crowd turnout at Wimbledon.

Temperatures on Thursday are forecast to rise as high as 23C in parts of south-east England, including London and Kent, with cooler conditions for the rest of the country, with highs averaging 15C-16C.

The mercury will fall as low as 8C in parts of central Scotland in the early hours of Friday morning, though the rest of the UK is forecast to hover around 12C-13C.

Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said parts of northern and central England, including Manchester and Birmingham, will see scattered outbreaks of rain on Thursday and cloud coverage means not everyone will bask in the sun.

He added: “Rain and drizzle over Scotland will die out through the day but a band of patchy rain moves southwards across northern England and Wales and central England, breaking into showers later.”

The rest of the country is set to be sunny, with the best of sunshine in the South, the forecaster said.

Summer weather June 23rd 2024
Temperatures on Thursday are forecast to rise as high as 23C in parts of south-east England, with cooler conditions for the rest of the country (Peter Byrne/PA)

Friday is expected to bring mostly bright and dry weather for much of the UK alongside variable cloud coverage and rain in the South East which could turn heavy with a chance of thunder.

Temperatures will be cooler, with highs of 20C.

The weekend is set to see the sunny weather continue as Saturday brings sunshine, light winds and dry weather apart from a few scattered showers in places.

The North will experience cloudier skies, while there will be patchy rain across eastern coasts, Mr Eslick said.

He added that Sunday will be “another day of sunny spells and slow-moving showers but cloudier with more prolonged rain in the North East”.

It will also feel humid and bring temperatures just below their seasonal averages, the forecaster said.

Next week is likely to hold more unsettled weather across the country as a weather front arrives from the Atlantic, bringing rain to the North West of the country while the South sees showers and some sunny spells, the Met Office said.