Three new rain and flood weather warnings by Met Office means dreary July showers to continue for UK

The wet weather is set to continue for swathes of the country.

Hopes of a sunny July have been dashed with a yellow weather warning from the Met Office in place between 3pm on Monday and 8pm on Tuesday. Heavy rain, localised flooding and downpours of up to 40mm over a few hours are likely.

The Met Office issued one alert for Scotland and Cumbria from 8am until 8pm on Tuesday, with heavy showers expected to develop during the morning and then become more widespread and slow-moving during the afternoon.

Another warning has been issued for a large part of the country — including London, parts of Wales, Yorkshire and the Midlands — for continual rain with a risk of localised flooding overnight on Monday until 9am on Tuesday. Residents have been warned there is a slight chance of power cuts and a disruption to public transport. Northern cities such as Blackpool, Newcastle and Middlesbrough will escape the worst of the rain.

Downpours are already affecting Wales and some western and southwestern parts of England with the warning in place from 8am to 11.59pm on Monday. A few areas could see 15 to 20 mm falling in less than an hour and perhaps as much as 30 to 40 mm in three or four hours, although some places are likely to see smaller amounts. This may be accompanied by lightning throughout the day but will ease after dark, the forecaster added.

It follows a soggy first seven months of the year so far, which has seen rain blamed for dampening economic performance and consumer spending. According to data released in June by the Office for National Statistics, some retail businesses reported that output in April was dented because of the wetter weather during the month.

Met Office spokesperson Andrea Bishop said that despite the drizzly start there is warmth on the horizon with temperatures due to rise by midway through the week, with parts of the South East reaching 26C on Thursday and Friday.

She said: "There is some good news, though, with some improvement by midweek, at least for southern parts of the country with a ridge coming in and temperatures looking to rise. Parts of the southeast could see up to 260C on Thursday and Friday."