It was lovely while it lasted with 25.5C reached at Cambridge yesterday, but the very warm spell is now over as we return to conditions we would normally expect in April.
It was lovely while it lasted with 25.5C reached at Cambridge yesterday, but the very warm spell is now over as we return to conditions we would normally expect in April, although temperatures will still be somewhat above normal for the time of year.
After a chillier start, most parts see some sunshine this morning once residual cloud has moved away from southern England, but cloud amounts will be more variable than yesterday over England and Wales. While the emphasis will be on dry weather, there are a few showers mostly over Northern Ireland, around Liverpool Bay and across Scotland, where some could even be wintry over hills in the far North. There'll also be the odd shower developing East of the Pennines during the morning, with central and eastern areas having the best of the sunshine before skies 'fill in' a little.
There'll be further sunny spells into the afternoon, and most parts will stay dry, but East Scotland and the East and North East of England, in particular, will see a few showers. The odd one could be sharp, but most places will miss them, with the showers tending to fade towards evening. After yesterday, a chillier light or moderate locally fresh North West wind may come as somewhat of a 'shock to the system', with top temperatures 14 to 16C in the South and 8 to 12C in the North.
Any remaining showers should have faded by dark, leaving most places with a dry evening and night. Clearing skies and a lighter North West or Westerly breeze will allow it to turn quite cold with a touch of grass frost possible, mostly in rural parts of Lothian and The Borders, northern England, the Midlands and around the Welsh borders. Lowest temperatures could be close to freezing in some vulnerable valleys, but 3 to 7C will be a more general minimum. Later in the night, West Scotland and Northern Ireland will see a freshening South West wind bringing cloud and some patchy rain or drizzle.
Tuesday begins fine but chilly across England and Wales with some sunshine. It'll also be dry, but the North will tend to cloud over through the morning, with Cumbria and Northern Ireland perhaps seeing some patchy rain or drizzle later, while the South continues mostly fine. Across Scotland cloud will give a wet morning in the North and West, while Lothian and The Borders see only light patchy rain.
The afternoon sees the best of the sunshine over central and southern parts of England and Wales while further North, there'll be more cloud. It'll stay mostly dry though apart from some patchy rain or drizzle across Cumbria and Northern Ireland. Scotland sees little change with the brightest weather towards The Borders in an otherwise cloudy afternoon, with the bulk of the rain over Highland and in the North and West. Across Scotland, a West or South Westerly wind will be fresh or strong, with gales in exposed areas, with top temperatures 11 to 13C in the North and 14 to 16C in the South.
In a somewhat milder evening and night southern and central parts see clear intervals, with generally more cloud elsewhere. This'll give further rain or drizzle at times over Scotland and Northern Ireland for a while, but elsewhere it should continue mainly dry. Scotland will see the rain clearing from the North, with Northern Ireland probably also seeing an improvement later. A fresh Westerly wind will be lighter in the South, with temperatures not falling below 5 to 9C.
As we approach the Easter period, the weather will stay in a similar mood for the remainder of the week. The North and North East will tend to be colder and more unsettled with occasional showers, while the South and South West are drier and see the best of the sunny intervals that'll be on offer.
