THE Met Office has forecast a brighter, calmer week ahead following the unseasonable bad weather which struck Gwent and much of the UK on the weekend.

Periods of heavy rainfall on Saturday were accompanied by gusts of wind reaching nearly 50 mph in Newport, the Met Office recorded.

But there was much heavier rainfall in other parts of the UK.

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The Met Office said the wettest part of the country was Spadeadam, in Cumbria, where 71.4 millimetres of rain fell on Saturday – compared to a regional monthly average of 82.4 millimetres for August.

This week, however, should bring modest improvements in the forecast. Today sees sunny intervals amid cloudy conditions, though there is a chance of scattered showers in the mid-afternoon. Temperatures could reach highs of 19 degrees.

A clear night is forecast, meaning there could be a chance of glimpsing the Perseid meteor shower.

Tuesday should be cloudy, again with some sunny intervals, but the Met Office predicts a strong likelihood of rain for much of Wednesday morning, lasting until the late afternoon.

The forecast for Thursday looks to be drier, with some sunny intervals, although cloud will return on Friday ahead of what could be a changeable start to the weekend.