Britons should brace themselves for "much more changeable and considerably cooler" weather with rain at times over the next few weeks, weatherman John Kettley said.

As the UK cools off from temperatures which soared above 30C last week, the cult forecaster said "fresher and more typical British weather" was on its way.

Kettley, 56, picked the weekend of August 15 and 16 as the best chance for good weather across the UK after studying a computer analysis based on sea surface temperatures and atmospheric conditions.

Kettley, who featured in the 1988 hit single John Kettley is a Weatherman, said: "The recent hot spell, punctuated by severe thunderstorms, is about to be replaced by fresher and more typical British weather as an Atlantic influence replaces the continental one.

"The first two to three weeks in July are likely to be much more changeable and considerably cooler with rain at times so it could be a wise move to jet off sooner rather than later if you've been waiting for a dip in Britain's weather fortunes before venturing abroad."

He added last August was the cloudiest on record with wet weather conditions across most of the UK and said next month was "not likely to be exceptional with varying good and bad weather and some thundery downpours".

"The South and East of England are best placed to take advantage of any good weather this summer with the North West most likely to experience wet and windy conditions as a result of the low pressure that tends to form between Iceland and Ireland," he said.

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