Britain Is About To Be Drenched By Three Days Of Rain

Just when you thought the weather was getting better, it gets worse.

We might have survived several incarnations of the Beast from the East, a succession of cold snaps and forged our way into something approximating good weather, but don't don't get used to it: the UK is about to be hit by some absolutely torrential rain.

First, the good news. In the last week, we've seen the mercury reach as high as 15C degrees - positively tropical given that we saw the same figures in minus around a weeks ago - with the results being the highest recorded temperatures of 2018 so far in England: 16C yesterday in Kew, south London.

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According to the Met Office, however, things are about to change. Seventy-five flood warnings have been issued over Britain, with the heavens set to open - and the rain doesn't look likely to stop for a significant amount of time.

"We've had a really good couple of days, with lovely sunshine. But on Saturday the rain will spread from West to East," said Grahame Madge of The Met Office.

"It will be drier in the afternoon. But another band of rain will push in late afternoon or early evening."

We might well see the first temperatures that breach 17C - which would lift the UK above the heat in Barcelona, which is only due to hit 16C, although it probably won't be belting it down there.

The upside of the rising temperatures and torrential rain is that the trees will finally begin to bloom and - whisper it quietly - it might start to look a little like spring.

Of course, we're not allowed nice things here in the UK, so with the warmer weather and flowering trees, we will get a boost in the pollen count. The cold weather has delayed the start of spring and left the trees at bursting point.

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"When the tree pollen season is delayed, more trees are likely to release their pollen at the same time, creating a time bomb waiting to explode," allergy specialist Max Wiseberg told the Sun.

The Met Office added: "Saturday morning will see Scotland with scattered showers and Northern Ireland will have a mix of bright spells and showers.

"The rest of the UK will have a weather system that's wriggling around north and south. Some places will have a brighter start, but there will be quite a lot of cloud. There will be outbursts of rain across the country. It's going to be moving north through the day."

Topics: Weather, UK News, Rain

Mike Wood

Mike Meehall Wood is a freelance journalist and translator. He writes for LADbible, VICE and countless sports publications, focusing on rugby league, football and boxing. He is a graduate of Leeds University and maintains a fizzy pop obsession. Contact Mike at [email protected]