Paralympic torchbearers are in for a rainy relay - but thousands of spectators attending the opening ceremony of the Games will be able to leave their umbrellas at home, forecasters said.

Wet weather is due to sweep across much of the UK on Wednesday, with the worst of the rain falling from 9am until the early afternoon, when the flame will be making its way through London and towards the Olympic Stadium.

While temperatures will struggle to get above 15C during the evening, the rain clouds will have disappeared by 8.30pm, when the Games officially get under way.

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Wet weather is due to sweep across much of the UK on Wednesday


Helen Rossington, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "There will be rain and showers throughout the day but it should be dry by the time the ceremony starts.

"It might be chilly though compared to how it was for the Olympics opening ceremony and there will be a brisk south-westerly wind. But it won't be raining, which is the important thing. There is only a very slight chance of a shower."

Speaking of the torchbearers, she added: "Some of them will definitely get wet. There could be quite heavy rain throughout the morning, with the whole of the UK being unsettled."

The band of rain will travel east, bringing showers behind it, with the most persistent downpours happening in the morning.

During the day, temperatures will reach a high of 20C in the south of England as the torch relay takes place, with some sunshine between the showers.

UK Weather: Rain, Flooding, Doom and Gloom. The British Summer In Pictures
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  • A man shelters from the wind and the rain on June 11, 2012 in Southsea, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

  • Rain falls onto a icecream vendor's booth on June 11, 2012 in Southsea, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

  • A jogger braves the wind and the rain on June 11, 2012 in Southsea, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

  • Visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage site Stonehenge brave the wind and the rain on June 11, 2012 near Amesbury, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

  • Visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage site Stonehenge brave the wind and the rain on June 11, 2012 near Amesbury, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

  • A woman wades through water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire.

  • Standing water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire.

  • Cars splash through remaining flood water on the A63 outside Leeds after flash flooding in the area last night.

  • Workers survey the water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire.

  • Standing water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire.

  • Cars splash through remaining flood water on the A63 outside Leeds after flash flooding in the area last night.

  • A general view of water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire.

  • Paul Burrow mops the floor in his water damaged kitchen at his home in Swillington, Leeds, after floods tore through the area over the weekend.

  • Gill West mops up after her home was flooded, in Tal-y-bont, Mid Wales, after floods tore through the area over the weekend.

  • A pedestrian jumps over a puddle left by persistent rain in central London on June 11, 2012. Persistent rainfall over much of southern England and the midlands has lead to the risk of flooding with the Met office issuing a severe weather warning. (Photo credit: CARL COURT/AFP/GettyImages)

  • Taxis drive past a puddle left by persistent rain in central London on June 11, 2012. (Photo credit: CARL COURT/AFP/GettyImages)

  • A picture shows the British Houses of Parliament seen through heavy fog and low cloud in London on June 11, 2012. Heavy rain fell over much of the south and central England on June 11, disrupting sporting events like the third Test at Edgbasten and the Aegon Championships and shrouding the captial in a pall of mist and fog. (Photo credit: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/GettyImages)

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