Essex set for 16 hours of rain, according to Met Office

The Met Office has predicted a 30 per cent, or higher, chance of rain across the county starting from 11pm today and continuing into tomorrow. The Met Office forecast for this evening reads: "Fine and dry at first, with any early evening sunshine becoming increasingly hazy. "Cloud will steadily thicken from the west, bringing outbreaks of light rain overnight. "Becoming breezy, especially along the coast, with the rain turning increasingly patchy." Tuesday's outlook is slightly brighter, though rain is expected to linger through the morning. Met Office's forecast reads: "Rain, light and patchy, slowly clearing east during the morning. "Then mostly dry with sunny spells in the afternoon, although winds will freshen. "The odd shower probable in the evening." Despite the forecast of improving conditions, the Met Office is predicting a 40 per cent or higher chance of rain until 3pm on Tuesday. Here is the hour-by-hour forecast for Essex starting from 11pm tonight: 11pm - Cloudy, 18c, 30% chance of light rain 12am - Cloudy, 18c, 50% chance of light rain 1am - Cloudy, 17c, 70% chance of light rain 2am - Cloudy, 17c, 90% chance of light rain 3am - Cloudy, 16c, 90% chance of light rain 4am - Cloudy, 16c, 90% chance of light rain 5am - Cloudy, 15c, >95% chance of light rain 6am - Cloudy, 15c, 90% chance of light rain 7am - Cloudy, 14c, 80% chance of light rain 8am - Cloudy, 14c, 90% chance of light rain 9am - Cloudy, 15c, 90% chance of light rain 10am - Cloudy, 16c, 90% chance of light rain 11am - Cloudy, 16c, 80% chance of heavy rain 12pm - Cloudy, 16c, 80% chance of heavy rain 1pm - Cloudy, 16c, 80% chance of heavy rain 2pm - Cloudy, 17c, 50% chance of light rain 3pm - Cloudy, 18c, 40% chance of light rain Rain is expected to ease after 3pm, with brighter spells developing later in the day. Temperatures will rise to 19°C between 5-6pm, with full sunny conditions expected. The chance of rain overnight drops to less than five per cent.