Preston weather forecast: Scattered showers and occasional sunny spells predicted this weekend

The UK provisionally recorded its sixth wettest July on record, with a succession of low pressure systems bringing unseasonably wet and windy conditions.

While August has started fairly unsettled for many, Thursday (August 10) provided a brief glimpse of warmer weather for many.

The forecast for the weekend and early next week at least is for unsettled conditions to be dominant, with a mixture of sunshine and showers for many, as well as some heavier periods of rain for some.

However, during the latter half of next week, signals are emerging for the possibility of warmer weather returning for at least parts of the UK, though the extent and longevity is still somewhat uncertain.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Rebekah Sherwin said: “While there’s an unsettled outlook for this weekend and the start of next week, our long-range models are starting to signal the possibility of some warmer, more settled, weather developing later next week.”

The Met Office uses ensemble forecasting to determine the likelihood of certain weather scenarios occurring.

This means that the computer model is run a number of times from slightly different starting conditions to give an indication of the more likely or less likely scenarios.

Rebekah said: “What we’re seeing in our ensemble forecasts for later next week is a likelihood of some warmer weather developing, at least for parts of the UK.

“The most likely scenario is for high pressure to the east and low pressure to the west, which would allow a southerly flow to develop and draw warmer air from continental Europe over the UK.

“With this scenario, temperatures into the low 30s Celsius are possible in the southeast towards the end of next week or over the weekend.

“What’s less clear from our models is how far north this warmth may spread from the southeast, how long it will last and the exact dates that warmer weather might exert its influence.”

Here’s the weather forecast for this weekend:

Hour-by-hour forecast for Saturday, August 12

1am – Cloudy – More than 5% chance of rain – 17C

2am – Cloudy – More than 5% chance of rain – 16C

3am – Cloudy – More than 5% chance of rain – 16C

4am – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 16C

5am – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 15C

6am – Light rain – 40% chance of rain – 15C

7am – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 15C

8am – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 16C

9am – Cloudy – 20% chance of rain – 17C

10am – Heavy rain – 80% chance of rain – 17C

11am – Heavy rain – 90% chance of rain – 17C

Midday – Heavy rain – 80% chance of rain – 17C

1pm – Light rain – 60% chance of rain – 17C

2pm – Light rain – 50% chance of rain – 18C

3pm – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 19C

4pm – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 19C

5pm – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 19C

6pm – Light shower – 30% chance of rain – 19C

7pm – Sunny intervals – More than 5% chance of rain – 18C

8pm – Light shower – 40% chance of rain – 18C

9pm – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 17C

10pm – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 17C

11pm – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 16C

Outlook for Sunday, August 13

1am – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 16C

4am – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 16C

7am – Cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 15C

10am – Light rain – 60% chance of rain – 17C

1pm – Light shower – 60% chance of rain – 18C

4pm – Light shower – 30% chance of rain – 19C

7pm – Cloudy – 30% chance of rain – 18C

10pm – Partly cloudy – 10% chance of rain – 16C