UK to get brief respite from rain, forecasts show

You would be forgiven for thinking the rain this year has been relentless - because in some parts of the UK, it actually has been.

Here at BBC Weather we have been watching computer models closely for signs of when that pattern will change.

These computer-generated forecasts go out about two weeks into the future - and models have often been hinting at a change to colder and drier weather on that timescale. However, they have then reverted to the familiar wet pattern as we have got closer to the time.

Now though, there are stronger signals of a change for some of us - albeit perhaps only a temporary one.

For the weather to dry up, this pattern needs to change and a short-lived reprieve may be on the way.

While spells of rain will continue throughout this weekend and into the start of the new week, it looks like higher pressure will start to build across the north of the UK later in the week.

This may turn things a little drier here and possibly even brighter. It is also expected to turn a little colder.

Wet weather is still likely to affect the south of the UK, perhaps turning to snow where it meets cold air, but even here there are signs of something a little drier and colder arriving - perhaps by the following weekend.

However, it might be worth keeping the wet weather gear handy.

Early indications are that milder westerly winds from the Atlantic will return during the third week of the month - delivering more wind and rain.

Rain gauges at locations including North Wyke in Devon and Astwood Bank in Worcestershire have recorded precipitation every single day so far in 2026.

There have been a few exceptions - notably parts of western Scotland and north-west England which have been drier than normal.

Statistics from the Met Office revealed that Northern Ireland had its wettest January in 149 years - while it was the wettest January on record for County Down and Cornwall.

February has brought little improvement so far.

Provisional Met Office data shows that some parts of the UK recorded more rainfall in the first five days than they would normally expect over the course of the whole month.

Aberdeenshire has been one of the wettest places of all, with Aboyne receiving over 130% of its normal February rainfall in just five days.

It should perhaps come as little surprise that the rain has also been accompanied by a seemingly unbreakable sheet of cloud.

Aberdeen recorded no sunshine for 14 days from 22 January - provisionally the longest sunless spell on record for the city.

Southern and south-western parts of England have also been badly affected by flooding and travel disruption.

Conversely, some areas of north-west England and western Scotland have been drier than normal, with Aultbea in the north-west Highlands recording no rainfall for 19 consecutive days.

A powerful jet stream has been sending areas of low pressure in from the Atlantic, arriving first across the south-west of England.

But high pressure has been stubbornly sitting across Scandinavia, blocking the progress of those rain-bearing weather systems, causing them to stall close to the UK.

This weather setup has driven persistent south-easterly winds driving moisture - and rainfall - into areas like southern England and eastern Scotland, leaving some spots further west sheltered from the worst of the wet weather.

While dry places have remained dry, the wet areas have just kept getting wetter.

You can get more detail on the long-range forecast in our monthly outlook.

And the hour-by-hour forecast for your area is always available on the BBC Weather website and app.