Pretty pastel colours were spotted in the morning skies as most of the UK looks forward to a clear and bright day as the nation falls silent to mark Armistice Day.
But forecasters warn the country is set for a weekend washout with up to two inches of rain expected to fall in one day on western parts of the country.
Scotland had a taste of the deluge today as forecasters warned the country is set to be battered by rain as gales and heavy showers blow in from the north west.
Meteorologists have put a weather warning in place for the whole country, with heavy rain expected to flood homes and businesses across Scotland.
Starlings fly at sunrise in Brighton as the nation woke to clear skies and stunning sunrises on the morning of Armistice Day
Pastel colours were also on display in Playhatch, Oxfordshire, as the sun broke over the dawn sky
Forecasters say heavy rain will fall on Scotland today and the rest of the country is in for a similar deluge over the weekend
A woman was snapped taking a photo of Brighton Palace Pier and the sunrise in Brighton this morning as the sunrise turned the skies red
The rest of the UK is set to be spared from the downpour, with early morning rain in western parts of England and Wales set to clear as the day progresses.
‘Cloudy skies will greet most of us as we wake up on Wednesday morning. However, apart from a few showers, England and Wales will stay largely dry and mild,’ The Met Office posted on Twitter.
‘Becoming increasingly windy further northwest with coastal gales and periods of rain, heavy in places.’
The colourful sunrise was seen over much of England this morning and a photographer in Oxfordshire captured the clouds turning a bright shade of pink.
The scene over Brighton’s Pier on the south coast was also a stunning deep red display, ehanced by a flock of starlings moving together across the dawn sky.
Other parts of the UK woke up to fog, but forecasters said the mist and low cloud would clear as the day went on.
Apart from a couple of showers blowing in from the west – part of the same weather system covering Scotland in heavy rain today – the country is set to enjoy a clear bright day.
Met Office spokesperson Graeme Madge said: ‘We have a pattern of weather fronts coming through beginning today.
The stunning skies were reflected in the ocean spray on Brighton beach this morning
Much of the country saw an impressive sunrise today on November 11, the day where fallen soldiers are commemorated across the UK
‘There’s an active weather front coming from the west and working its way east overnight across southern parts of the UK and that will be bringing a band of very heavy rain. One that goes it will clear again before the arrival of another band of weather.
‘In north west Scotland they have their own particular concern with heavy rain and winds. But the rest of the country as this pattern of wet and dry continues until the weekend.’
But the expert warned that the country is set for a downpour on Saturday and Sunday with ‘intense bursts of rainfall’.
‘The weekend does look quite lively,’ he added. ‘On Saturday there’s likely to be some quite heavy showers and then on Sunday it looks like there will be another front coming through bringing heavy rain and some of that could be given the conditions, quite intense bursts of rainfall. Just in time for the weekend.’
‘There are bands of rainfall coming through for the next four or five days, but there will be brighter interludes coming through.’
The forecasters said they would consider issuing weather warnings if the risk of flooding is elevated due to the rainfall.
The nation will fall silent today at 11am to remember the fallen soldiers on Armistice Day. Pictured: London’s cenotaph this morning
Brighton Pier was silhouetted against the cloudy backdrop as the rising sun turned the south coast a deep crimson red
Western areas of England and Wales could see between 40 to 60mm of rainfall on Saturday, and potentially another 20mm the following day.
Other parts of the UK are set to see between 10 and 20mm fall in the downpour.
But the weekend washout was not set to last as the weather is set to clear on Monday, bringing warmer temperatures next week.
Mr Madge added: ‘Next week there’s the potential for very warm air to come up as a result of the hurricane season dominating the tropical Atlantic. They bring lots of moisture and warm air.
‘The system Theta next week could track up some warm air from Madeira and the Azores. There’s the potential for next week to see some very high temperatures for November.’
The autumnal weather comes as Britain marks Armistice Day to remember the nation’s fallen soldiers.
With the mercury set to rise to 13C in parts of the UK and 14C in the south west, it is the latest in a series of days that have seen higher than average temperatures for this time of year.
Encouraging people to get out and enjoy the clamer weather while it lasts, Mr Madge added: ‘The message is if people want to exercise and get outside look at the forecast and time it for dry conditions.’