Manchester is set for big thunderstorms this week: Here’s this week’s forecast
Torrential downpours, high winds, and hail showers are all being tipped to take place over the course of the next few days, with the Met Office issuing a Yellow weather warning for the whole region.
We’ve had some scorching sunshine over the past few days in Manchester. But now, we need to brace ourselves for a whole other kind of extreme weather: Thunderstorms.
Torrential downpours, high winds, and hail showers are all being tipped to take place over the course of the next few days, with the Met Office issuing a Yellow weather warning for the whole region.
Yellow warnings are often issued when the weather could potentially bring “severe impacts” to communities, but the “certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower” than with an Amber or Red alert.
Here’s what the Met Office is predicting so far.
Be sure to keep a close eye on their website as changes in forecasts could occur throughout the week.
The Met Office is saying that thunderstorms will begin brewing this afternoon from 4pm, with “a risk of hail, torrential downpours and frequent lightning.”
The current forecast for the region is “heavy showers with torrential downpours and a risk of thunder continuing through the evening.”
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Showers are expected to ease overnight.
Tuesday
Tuesday is set to be a “very hot day” according to the latest Met Office forecast, with temperatures reaching a scorching 29 degrees by the afternoon.
Thunder and showers are, however, predicted for evening – with the clouds set to open from 6pm.
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Storms may last – on and off – right through the night.
“A risk of thunderstorms with some heavy downpours possible,” is being forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, with the trickier weather being “interspersed with drier, sunnier spells.”
There could be rain on Wednesday morning during the morning commute form 7am – 10am, whilst the weather is expected to slowly improve throughout the subsequent 24 hours.
Accompanying the Yellow weather warning for the early part of this week, the Met Office comments: “There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes and large hail.”
The website also warns of potential delays and cancellations to public transport, with spray and sudden flooding creating difficult driving conditions and “increased chance of accidents.”
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It adds: “There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.
“There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life.”
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Altrincham named one of the UK’s best places to live in 2026 in The Sunday Times’ annual ranking
Emily Sergeant
A popular Greater Manchester town has been named among the UK’s best places to live by the Sunday Times in its annual ranking.
That’s right… it’s that time of year, once again.
The Sunday Times is known for pulling together a list of what it considers to be the most sought-after places to live in the UK every year, and 2026’s ranking has officially been published today – with dozens of locations across the country making up the comprehensive guide, and six of those coveted locations being right here in the North West.
The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all locations on the list, and assessed factors such as schools, transport, culture, broadband speeds, access to green spaces, the health of the high streets, and much more to devise the always-talked-about annual ranking.
Macclesfield in Cheshire, Eden Valley in Cumbria, Lancaster in Lancashire, and Aigburth in Liverpool are just some of the North West areas named by the publication in the 2026 list.
Altrincham has been named one of the best places to live in the UK / Credit: The Manc Group
A spotlight has also been shone on two Greater Manchester towns, and one of two has even been given the regional North West title… but which are they?
Where has taken the top spot as the best place to live in the North West for 2026, and is therefore one of the best places to live in the whole of the country? Well, that honour has been given to none other than Greater Manchester’s very-own Altrincham.
The publication described the Trafford town as ‘classy, cool and effortlessly comfortable’.
“Altrincham is a top-notch town brimming with independent businesses and big brands, and now it’s flying even higher,” The Sunday Times said.
The fact that co-working has now arrived on the high street thanks to the conversion of the old Rackhams department store, and that the town’s cultural and creative ‘cachet’ is also on the rise, have been highlighted as reasons as to why Altrincham has been chosen as the North West’s winner, as well its newly-flourishing fitness scene.
Of course, the town has also been praised for its transport links into Manchester city centre and across the region, as well as it being a great place for families thanks to the excellent local schools on offer.
Didsbury was the other Greater Manchester town chosen to represent the best of the North West – with the Manchester suburb described as being ‘stylish, solid, safe, and, yes, a little bit smug in parts… but that’s okay’.
You can read the full Altrincham feature here, and see where else The Sunday Times included in its list for 2026 here.
Featured Image – Geograph
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11 arrested and £70k cash seized during early-morning police drug raids across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
11 people have been arrested, as well as a large amount of cash and drugs seized, during early-morning raids across Greater Manchester.
The raids took place during the early hours of the morning yesterday (Thursday 19 March 2026), where Greater Manchester Police (GMP) successfully executed eight warrants simultaneously across Tameside, Oldham, and Rochdale to tackle a ‘suspected criminal network’ involved in the distribution of class A drugs and firearms.
Officers from Tameside Programme Challenger team, the District Intelligence Unit (DIU), and GMP’s Tactical Aid Unit (TAU) were deployed to each of the addresses.
Following weeks of intelligence gathering and preparation, a total of 11 people – each aged between 24 and 77 – were arrested on suspicion of drug-related offences during the raids.
Eight men and three women were arrested on suspicion of a range of offences, including conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs, being part of an organised crime group, possession with intent to supply, money laundering, and possession of an offensive weapon.
They all remain in police custody for questioning at this time, GMP confirmed.
During searches of the addresses, various class A, B and C drugs – including crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis, and nitrous oxide – were seized, while further recoveries of £70,000 in cash, a zombie knife, a BB gun, and four vehicles were also made at the same time.
Speaking following the success of the raids yesterday, Chief Superintendent Shan Nasim, District Commander for Tameside, said: “[This] operation has been a powerful example of our continued, determined effort to dismantle organised crime in our district and Greater Manchester.
“We have 11 people in custody being questioned by our investigation teams in relation to an organised crime group (OCG) that have been causing widespread harm across our communities.
“This action caused significant disruption of an organised crime group (OCG) and has prevented drugs and weapons from reaching the streets, as well as the associated harms that come hand in hand with organised crime.
“Organised criminals exploit vulnerable people and blight our communities; we will take robust action to catch offenders, keep our communities safe, and protect vulnerable people across Greater Manchester.”
The Manc -
10th August 2020 
