Britain to face weeks of drizzle after short-lived heatwave with a month’s worth of rain in the next day
The brief spell of sunshine is likely to be replaced with clouds and rain
BRITS are preparing for a month's worth of rain in one day with more rain than the whole of July in the next 24 hours.
Forecasters have warned some parts of the country could see torrential downpours as August gets off to a chilly start.
The forecast for August, issued yesterday, declared this month will be significantly damper than the sunshine-filled month of July.
The brief heatwave that the country experienced last month looks likely to be a thing of the past as cloudier skies and rainfall are predicted.
This week is expected to see a mixed bag of weather, and conditions will change rapidly throughout the country.
Today started off cold but bright with a significant amount of rain expected in the south.
The mixed forecast comes one day after a water spout was spotted at Thorpeness descending from dark clouds looming over the Suffolk coastline.
Pictures captured by onlookers show the swirling funnel spinning through the waves.
Forming over water, the feature is rarely spotted as the tornado appears over the sea, with around 100 of them occurring annually.
A Met Office forecaster said: "July was obviously very, very dry, across parts of south-west Britain in particular, so there is a good chance we could see more rain across parts of the South West in the next 24 hours on Monday than we've seen in the entire month.
"It will be a real topsy-turvy week - no two days quite the same. But in the next five to seven days we will all see some rain at times - useful rain for those who have got parched gardens; obviously not great for those under canvas or trying to enjoy the beach."
While sun-lovers hoping for a lengthy heatwave in the next fortnight may be disappointed, the month should avoid being a washout as it picks up again.
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Moving into the second week of August, the further north-west parts of the UK the greater chance of seeing rain and stronger winds, while the South East will be generally a bit drier with a greater chance of seeing more prolonged periods of sunshine and high temperatures.
People can expect temperatures of low 20Cs in the South, and high teens in the North.
The best chance for a settled, warm period will be early on in the second half of August, particularly in the South, but the Met Office warned there was "certainly no strong signal for any prolonged period of hot weather" at the moment.
The spokesman added: "We saw how quickly in July it can turn hot for a day and then be all gone the next; it's not completely ruling out some hot summer weather but it's unlikely to be long-lived event if it was to come off."
The effect of heavy rain for one crafty commuter in London in June
Thousands of people took advantage of the sunny and warm weather to spend many afternoon on the beach in Brighton during July
The Isle of Wight saw its driest July on records, with only 1mm (0.04in) of rain falling over the month.
However, the start of August brings a change in weather, with up to 20mm (0.8in) of rain expected over the next 24 hours.
A second Met Office forecaster, Simon Partridge, said: "According to records it is certainly the driest July on the Isle, certainly at St Catherine's Point.
"But there is rain on its way - a weak little band of rain that has already crossed most of Cornwall and Devon."
Meanwhile, Coral has cut the odds on this August being the hottest on record from 5-1 to 3-1, amid a flurry of bets that Britain will bask in a heatwave before the month is out.
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