West Midlands weather: Will we ever see the back of this cruel summer?

It's the time of year when we are meant to be on the court playing a spot of tennis, or scoring some runs in a cricket game.

The weather has been drizzly, cold, and downright miserable, and unfortunately it won't be changing any time soon in the West Midlands.

Temperatures have been around one to three degrees below average for the time of year, the Met Office has reported, but the cloud, rain and wind have made it feel even colder.

The chilly weather is due to the air moving in from the Arctic – a big contrast to this time last year when the UK had the warmest June on record.

As usual, there are drier and warmer spells in the south of England, and wetter, colder ones in the north – so if you're not going abroad this summer, you know where to go.

Is the rain going to ever stop in the West Midlands?

Here is what the weather is predicted to be like in the West Midlands over the next few weeks, according to the Met Office.

Saturday will be blustery, cool, and showery with potentially some heavy and thundery downpours in the afternoon and highs of 17 degrees.

There will be some sunny spells on Sunday and Monday with some areas staying dry, but others getting some heavy showers. Tuesday is set to be mainly dry across the region, feeling warm in the sun and winds easing.

Next Friday is when we will start seeing a very slight change in the forecast for the better, with a low percentage of rain and temperatures reaching up to 18 degrees across the midlands.

Overall, from now until early July, there will not be more of any one type of weather, the Met Office predicts. From June 28 to July 12, all areas can expect to see some spells of drier, sunnier weather, but there will also be showers or longer spells of rain at times.

Currently the only signals, weak as they are, hint that rain and showers will tend to be more biased towards the north and west, with any more prolonged drier interludes favouring the south. Temperatures are most likely to be close to or slightly above average.

'There are some signals of a gradual uptick'

Steven Nixon, spokesperson for the Met Office, said: "The UK’s weather will remain largely unsettled over the weekend, with showers and some longer spells of rain possible at times. Low pressure is the dominant force through the weekend, and while there will be some drier periods at times, it’s a continued unsettled feel to the weather for many through the weekend, with some more persistent rain in Scotland and parts of the north of England. While further south will still see showers through the weekend, they’re also likely to see some drier periods at times.

"In addition, temperatures remain slightly below average for the time of year, thanks in part of a cool pool of air sitting over the UK that has moved in from the north. There are some signals of a gradual uptick in temperatures back towards average from the middle of next week, but this wouldn’t be considered a heatwave and could even be accompanied by some rain, depending on how the weather systems around the UK interact."