Some rain moving south today, followed by sunshine and showers. Drier for many tomorrow, leading into a mixed bag of weather for Easter.
A cold front is currently bringing outbreaks of rain to Northern Ireland, Dumfries and Cumbria. Some of the rain is heavy, spreading to Lancashire, North and West Wales and the remainder of northern England through the morning. The rain East of the Pennines, however, will be lighter and patchy and as the front comes South it'll weaken, with just mostly light showers on it by the time it reaches the Midlands and southern England later today. Here although mainly dry this morning, there'll be a mix of cloud and sunny intervals. Behind the front across Scotland, it's a brighter start with some sunshine, but there are already scattered showers in the North. Others will develop, with Northern Ireland, Cumbria, Northumberland and County Durham turning brighter through the morning.
Check the latest rainfall radar here.
The afternoon sees the brighter weather over Scotland and Northern Ireland spreading to remaining parts of northern England and perhaps to the North Midlands and North Wales later. There'll be sunny spells but also showers, heaviest and most frequent over North and East Scotland. Some could be wintry over the Grampian mountains, but they should be more scattered across Northern Ireland, with a few cropping up over the far North of England later. Over the Midlands and Lincolnshire there'll be patchy rain but further South it'll stay mainly dry if though rather cloudy. Although milder in the South, it'll feel a little chilly in a mostly moderate or fresh and slightly blustery at times West to North Westerly wind, with top temperatures 14 to 16C in the South and 9 to 12C in the North.
The evening will see cloud and a few showers in the South eventually moving away to leave clearing skies overnight. Elsewhere there'll be further sunny spells before dusk, with the showers, mostly in the North and East fading after dark. As skies clear and a Westerly breeze becomes lighter, it could turn quite cold with a touch of grass frost by dawn in some sheltered rural valleys, where temperatures could fall as low as 2 or 3C but in towns and cities, 5 to 7C will be 'nearer the mark'. Later in the night Northern Ireland and West Scotland see the cloud increasing, bringing some patchy rain by morning.
After waking to a chilly start, most parts of England and Wales begin fine and dry tomorrow. The East and South, in particular, will see some sunshine, but it'll tend to become more cloudy from the West through the morning. By the afternoon the brightest weather will be across East and South East England, but with a good deal of cloud elsewhere. There'll also be some rain West of Pennines, across North and West Wales and perhaps Cornwall, but much of it should be light and patchy. Lothian and The Borders may begin bright, but for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Thursday will be mostly cloudy with rain at times. There'll be heavier bursts over Highland and in the West, with a West to South Westerly wind light across the East and South of England at first freshening somewhat through the day. This'll feel chilly at first, with top temperatures 10 to 12C typically.
A mostly cloudy evening and night are expected, with the South more likely to see skies breaking at times, where any rain will light and patchy. Over Scotland, Northern Ireland and in the North and West, however, occasional rain may tend to become more persistent into the early hours before clearer, somewhat colder weather, although still with a few showers in the North and West, moves into Scotland and perhaps Northern Ireland by morning. A moderate or fresh Westerly wind will be lighter in the South in a milder night when temperatures shouldn't fall below 7 to 10C across England and Wales.
In a mixed Easter break, there'll be sunny spells, with the best of these generally in the South and South West. The North and East will be more subject to showers, where it'll be colder as a result. There'll be a good amount of dry weather, but it'll often be 'fair' rather than 'fine'.
