August forecast: Summer sunshine or more wet autumnal gales?

A gloomy forecast has been predicted for the rest of August with heavy rain and gales likely to hit Scotland.

Parts of Scotland including Ayrshire, Inverclyde, and around Loch Lomond have seen two weeks’ worth of rainfall within 48 hours this week – causing flooding and travel disruption.

But the jet stream is poised to bring more wet and windy weather over the next couple of weeks according to Sean Batty.

Autumnal weather systems are heading towards the UK – dragging eastwards the remnants of tropical storms and hurricanes from the Atlantic.

A yellow weather warning for heavy rain has already seen a wet and windy start to August for the west of Scotland, and it’s not over.

Showers, rain and a chance of thunder

Insight Sean Batty STV weather presenter

Unfortunately, this spell of wet weather is not a one-off event. The jet stream is poised to bring more wind and rain over the next few weeks, potentially dampening the remainder of the school holidays.

On Wednesday, we can expect more wet and windy weather, with up to 40mm of rain from frequent heavy showers in the Western Isles, Skye, Lochalsh, and Lochaber. Another showery period on Friday could bring an additional 20-30mm of rain to some western areas, accompanied by windy conditions.

It’s fair to say that this week is not ideal for camping in the Hebrides, Argyll, and the West Highlands. Unfortunately, next week doesn’t look much better, with some computer models predicting autumnal weather systems heading towards the UK.

As we transition into a period where remnants of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic can be dragged towards the UK, we may experience heavy rain and autumnal gales.

So, should we write off the rest of summer, or “summer,” given it feels like it never really began? There are hints of improvement towards the end of August, and we should remember that September can sometimes bring very summery conditions.

In the first week of September 2023, temperatures nearly reached 30°C in the Highlands and Ayrshire. At the same time, it reached 22°C in Shetland, which, while not overly high, is significant for the region. If this happens again this September, it could ironically be our warmest spell of the summer, despite being in meteorological autumn! So, all hope is not lost—just keep your umbrella handy for the next few weeks.