Bank holiday spared severe weather warning

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning as parts of the UK brace themselves for heavy rain leading up to the bank holiday weekend. South-west England has been issued with the warning , with forecasters warning of 15mm (6in) of rain in under three hours. Rain is also likely across the whole of the south until Friday. However, the weather is set to improve by the weekend, with bright spells and warmer temperatures expected for most of the country, the Met Office said. "Today is looking a wet day," said Steven Keates, forecaster at the Met Office. "We have a warning out for Devon and Cornwall. But also central-southern England, south Wales and later on south-east England will all have heavy persistent rain." The north of England and Scotland should generally avoid heavy rain over the next three days, Keates said, but "possibly 30 to 50mm" could fall over the south-west and south Wales today alone. While the south-west of the UK is expected to clear overnight, the rain will linger over the south-east – potentially affecting the fourth England v Pakistan test match at Lords. "Tomorrow it looks like there will be more heavy rain running along the southern coast of England, maybe even as far as the London area," Keates said. On Friday, there is "still a risk" of rain across central, southern and south-east England, but the weather should improve in the south by the bank holiday. "It does look like there will be improvement, certainly across the south of the UK, with less rain and more sunshine," Keates said. "But there will be a north-east/south-west split over Saturday and Sunday, with the south having a reasonable weekend but the north-east seeing some showers." Keates said temperatures would be in the high teens over the next two to three days but could reach low 20s over the weekend in southern parts. Tonight will be cool, with temperatures as low as 6-7C in rural parts. Monday is "looking good" across most of the country, he said. The clement weather over the weekend could potentially make for a rare pleasant bank holiday travelling experience for those planning to get away, with the AA saying it is "not expecting it to be quite as bad" as previous years. But Paul Leather, from the AA, warned: "Unsettled weather makes the traffic more unpredictable, so people should check the weather and traffic reports before departing. "Come rain or shine, make sure you're prepared for the journey, as you never know when you might hit traffic on a bank holiday."