It's damp, it's wet... but is our 'Awful August' going to continue over the bank holiday weekend?

These cheerful sunflowers in a Wiltshire field are part of 800 acres of the plants being grown across southern England.

But while their bright colours may make you feel sunny, a glance at the cloudy sky above them tells the real story of what is being called 'Awful August'.

Sunflower crops have exploded this year with a bumper harvest expected from over 800 acres across the south of England

Yesterday, forecasters were able to hold out the tiniest glimmer of hope that things may improve.

If all goes well, the weather over the forthcoming bank holiday weekend should become 'slightly more settled' and 'somewhat warmer and drier', predicted the man from the Met Office.

The sea of sunflowers stretches for 70 acres

Then came the catch: current climatic conditions meant forecasters were 'not highly confident' about their predictions, many areas would still see some rain and only the South-East was likely to enjoy above average temperatures.

It seems August  -  likely to be the wettest since 1912  -  is going to continue as it started, with depressingly damp and cool weather.

Despite hopes of a slight improvement over the weekend, experts see little chance of a hot spell before the end of the school holidays.

Predictions of an Indian summer are also hard to find.

Just like 2007, the summer of 2008 seems certain to be a washout.

Yesterday, after days of rain in northern England, the Environment Agency issued flood warnings in Yorkshire for the Ouse at York and Naburn Lock.

Flooding of low-lying land is also expected elsewhere along the Ouse and around the rivers Aire and Nidd. The West Bay area of Dorset, around Bridport, is also on a flood watch alert.

Heavy rain and even thunderstorms are expected in many parts over the next few days, with today and Thursday likely to be the wettest.

A Met Office spokesman said that although there was 'a glimmer of hope' for better weather over the bank holiday, there was little chance of a heatwave to save the summer.

Most of England and Wales should be 'relatively dry', he said. But forecasters still expect to see 'showers and rain at times' over the long weekend, especially in the North-West.

Many areas will see only average temperatures of 18c-19c (64f-66f).

However, in southern and eastern areas temperatures may rise slightly above average, with 23c or 24c (73f or 75f) expected in London.

Unfortunately, that's where the good news ends. Next week is expected to be unsettled once again, with bands of rain moving across Britain.

'It's not going to be that pleasant,' the spokesman said.

The AA expects a quieter bank holiday than usual because of a combination of bad weather, the credit crunch and high petrol prices.