Wimbledon may receive 1st rainfall of the tournament as storms arrive Thursday

By Eric Leister, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Tuesday marked the eighth day of rain-free play at Wimbledon; however, that streak may come to an end as early as Wednesday.

A weak storm system spinning west of Scotland will bring rainfall to northern parts of the United Kingdom on Wednesday and a shower or two could extend as far southward as London, briefly dampening play.

Outside of the odd shower, it will be seasonably warm and humid with cloud and limited sunshine.

United States' Serena Williams returns the ball to United States' Alison Riske during a women's quarterfinal match on day eight of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

An afternoon high temperature of 25 C (77 F) is expected with light winds.

The threat of rainfall will increase on Thursday as both showers and thunderstorms will be possible.

Any thunderstorm could result in a suspension of play and cause spectators to be evacuated. When thunder is heard always seek shelter and follow instructions issued by Wimbledon staff.

The remainder of the day will feature sunny intervals as it remains seasonably warm and humid.

Despite heat being absent, players and fans will still need to protect themselves against the strong July sun.

"Fans in open seating areas will want to make sure to have hats, sunglasses and sun cream," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Bill Deger.

Friday will once again bring the risk for rainfall; however, any shower will be brief and dry weather may prevail throughout the day with showers affecting other nearby areas instead.

A daytime high temperature of 23 C (74 F) is forecast with sunny intervals. A gusty wind is possible at times from late morning on.

Dry weather is set to return for the final weekend of play. Both Saturday and Sunday will feature sunny intervals.

No extreme heat is forecast through the remainder of the tournament with weekend high temperatures near 23 C (74 F) with a light to moderate breeze each day.

New this year at Wimbledon is a retractable roof at No. 1 Court, which will allow play to continue in the event of harsh weather conditions such as rain, wind and heat.

Download the free AccuWeather app to stay up to date on the latest forecast throughout the tournament.