Rain clouds and thunderstorms could prevent skygazers from seeing the “blood moon” lunar eclipse in some parts of the country as forecasters warn of torrential downpours across eastern parts of Great Britain.

The Met Office issued a thunderstorm warning from Friday afternoon due to last until just before midnight. It has dampened the record heat predictions that had been tipped to challenge the UK’s all-time temperature record of 38.5C (101F), set in Kent in 2003 – may be beaten.

BBC Weather (@bbcweather) Just off to bed? Take 60 seconds to check Friday's #weather forecast first... Ben R pic.twitter.com/leWC6dnuho

The eclipse, said to be the longest in the 21st century, will see the moon pass through Earth’s darkest shadow and take on a red sheen.

Moonrise will be at 8.49pm BST in London, 9.46pm in Glasgow, 9.02pm in Cardiff and 9.27pm in Belfast, with mid-eclipse occurring at 9.21pm and the “total” phase ending at around 10.13pm.

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But torrential downpours are forecast in places, with as much as 1.2 inches (30mm) expected to fall in just an hour and 2.4 inches (60mm) in three hours.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: “It’s quite tricky at the moment to be precise but there is a potential for showers to develop across the eastern half of the UK.

“There may be large areas where the sky is effectively covered by thunderclouds. They will move through reasonably quickly but if that coincides with the peak moment of the eclipse, they could obscure the moon.”

The warning area extends from Cambridge and Peterborough up to the Scottish Borders, Madge said, adding that Wales, the south and west of England and most of Northern Ireland should have clear skies.

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Dr Gregory Brown, of the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: “We miss a section of the eclipse due to the moon being below our horizon when it starts. South-eastern observers will be able to see the eclipse for somewhat longer than north-western ones.”

The rising full moon will also change from shining silver to deep blood-red during the eclipse.

Brown said: “At this time, the moon passes into the shadow of the Earth, blocking the light from the sun. However, instead of turning black as you might expect, the atmosphere of the Earth bends the light of the sun on to the moon causing it to turn a deep red colour.”

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Mars will add to the spectacle shining brightly below the blood moon as it reaches perihelic opposition - where the Red Planet and the sun are on directly opposite sides of Earth.

And those awake after 11pm will be able to catch a glimpse of the International Space Station (ISS), as it moves quickly across the sky from west to east. It will appear like a bright star, before fading from sight a few minutes later.





