Warmest day of the year so far today, with 21-22C likely across SE Britain. However cloud and rain for northern and western areas. Changeable weather Friday and into the weekend, though Sunday fine for most.
There will be some winners and losers today with regards to the weather. Towards eastern England it will be very warm and sunny this afternoon and likely the warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures reaching 21-22C. However, further north and west it will be a cloudier picture with some rain. Friday will see rain spreading east in the morning, followed by sunnier conditions in the afternoon. The weekend sees the best of the dry weather on Sunday, with cooler conditions and showers for many on Saturday.
For now, we start Thursday with a lot of cloud across northern and western areas, which is producing outbreaks of rain across Scotland, northern England, Wales and the far SW of England. Central and eastern England is dry and bright, with hazy blue skies towards SE England and East Anglia. It is rather mild everywhere, with temperatures widely in double figures away from the far north of Scotland.
It will be a similar picture for the rest of the day really, remaining cloudy across northern and western areas with further pulses of rain working northeast, locally heavy over higher ground, though there will be some dry interludes between these pulses of rain. Across central southern and SE England, East Anglia and the Midlands it will remain mostly dry and bright or sunny. Southerly winds will help temperatures reach the low twenties centigrade in the sunshine across eastern England. Where we see the cloud and rain, temperatures reaching 14-17C across Wales, northern and western areas of England – 12-14C across Scotland and N. Ireland.
Then tonight, further rain pulsing northeast across the north and west with cloudy skies here extending further east across England with the odd spot of rain, though clear spells remaining overnight across southeast England. Another mild and frost-free night with temperatures staying in double figures away from northern Scotland.
It will be a cloudy start for many on Friday, a frontal system bringing locally heavy rain across northern and western first thing will reach eastern England by lunchtime, though rain along the front will be generally light as it reaches SE England and East Anglia. Drier conditions with sunshine following the clearance of the cold front with its rain from the west into the afternoon across most areas, though likely remaining cloudy, wet and windy across northern Scotland and some showers arriving across Ireland, N. Ireland, west Wales and SW England. Not as warm as today, but still reaching a pleasant 16-17C across central and eastern England, 12-15C elsewhere.
Then Saturday will see a slack trough of low pressure drift east bringing light winds and also slow-moving locally heavy and thundery showers across many parts, though there will be some bright or sunny spells between the showers. Temperatures reaching 10-13C in the north and west, 13-15C across central and eastern England.
Sunday sees a ridge of high pressure build in from the west, so mainly dry and bright or sunny across most parts, warming up again, with temperatures reaching 17C towards the southeast, 12-15C elsewhere.
High pressure looks like taking hold across the whole of the UK next week. Some cloud and rain at first across the north and west on Monday and into early Tuesday, but most places becoming dry and settled for the rest of the week. Not overly warm though, but pleasant enough in the sunshine, temperatures reaching in the mid-teens in the south. The nights turning chilly though under clear skies, with a touch of frost in rural areas.