Exact date '1cm per hour' rain storm will sweep ENTIRE length of UK

Britain is braced for a dramatic deluge next week as a powerful rainstorm barrels across the country - bringing downpours of up to 1cm an hour to a number of areas.

According to advanced weather modelling maps from WXCharts, the storm is due to hit in the early hours of Friday, October 3, unleashing torrential rain on swathes of the UK. It's due to kick off at midnight, when the first heavy showers strike the Scottish Highlands, Dumfries and Galloway and even parts of Edinburgh. Rain will also drench Inverness, Aberdeen and Newcastle, while Manchester will see early downpours too. Much of the south, however, will stay dry in the opening hours of the storm.

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By 6am, the wet weather will intensify across Scotland. Edinburgh, Inverness, Dumfries and Galloway and East Ayrshire will be pounded by rainfall at a rate of 1cm an hour, while the north-east will also take a soaking. The south of England, Wales and the Midlands are likely to escape the worst at this stage.

By lunchtime, the storm is set to sweep southward. Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Southampton and Newcastle are all set for downpours as the rain stretches the length of the country.

The storm's arrival comes after warnings from the Met Office, which has already said that the turn of the month will bring showers and longer spells of rain for all areas at times, with the heaviest bursts focused on the north-west.

Its long-range forecast from Septmeber 28 to October 7, reads: "Following a more unsettled weekend with a spell of rain across some areas, a return to drier conditions is likely for many parts by the start of next week.

"Around the turn of the month, while showers or longer spells of rain are possible for all areas at times, the wettest weather is likely to be focused on the northwest of the country. Any spells of windier weather are more likely in the northwest too.

"Elsewhere, there is a better chance of more prolonged fine and dry weather along with morning mist and fog patches in places. Temperatures generally around average. Uncertainty then increases during early October but a similar pattern is most likely to persist across the country."