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Wednesday starts dry but in the north west cloud is building. This morning much of central and eastern Britain has sunny spells but in the north and west winds strengthen and it clouds over. Outbreaks of rain spread across Northern Ireland and through the afternoon they push across Scotland and into northern England. Elsewhere it remains fine, however sunny spells become increasingly confined to the south east and East Anglia.

Temperatures will be lower than in recent days. Maximum values range from 15C (59F) in the north west to 22C (72F) in the south. See the rain radar for the latest view.

Hirlam, forecast rainfall, 16:00 BST Wed 13th June

Summer weather outlook

Seasonal forecast for June, July and August

Summer forecast overview

Tonight outbreaks of rain push southeastwards and become patchier. In the north west further bursts of heavy rain develop and they are accompanied by gale force winds. Computer models show wind gusts of 50 to 60mph in the north west which could lead to disruption at this time of the year.

Tomorrow drier and brighter weather returns. The south should have pleasantly warm spells of sunshine with temperatures similar to today's. In the north it remains very windy and in the afternoon showers break out.

Friday brings showers to northern areas and at times could merge into longer spells of rain. In the south a few showers are possible but a weak ridge of high pressure should keep it mostly dry. It will be cool in the north.

Mixed weekend

The changeable theme continues this weekend. On Saturday an area of low pressure pushes eastwards but there is some uncertainty about the exact track it will take. All regions could have showers or longer spells of rain an it may be quite windy. On Sunday a mix of sunshine and showers is expected.

GFS, forecast pressure and precipitation, 16:00 BST Sat 16th June

Return of the westerlies?

Next week the changeable pattern continues. All of the UK could see wet spells, however drier and warmer days are likely, especially in the south. At this time year the terms "European Monsoon" and "return of the westerlies" are used to describe a transition back to typical British summer weather. For more information see our article, European Monsoon - Change on the way.

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16 day GEFS ensembles at a glance

Changeable weather is favoured. The coolest and wettest spells are expected to be in the north. View latest GEFS.