Easter Weekend weather- not that special

This long weekend looks like a typical April weekend. Blustery with rain at times, sunny spells making it feel pleasantly warm in sheltered spots. Still quite a chill by night with a risk of frost and daytime temperatures only around 10 to 14C, so nothing spectacular. Take your coat!

Good Friday

There is a cool start this morning with a lot of cloud. There are chinks of sunshine for the Isle of Wight, Hants, W.Sussex having a fine start but for most, it is grey with the threat of rain. Showery outbreaks continue to feed in from the north and west as a frontal system pushes more rain and cloud over Northern Ireland and into western Britain. SE Britain won’t fair too badly today with bright conditions and lengthy dry spells. Here temperatures could reach 14 or 15C so will feel okay out of the freshening westerly breeze. For the rest of the UK, it is more hit and miss with outbreaks of rain and grey lulls. NW England and Wales look damp by the end of this afternoon as the frontal band then spills over southern Britain. This will be quite light and patchy by then. Further north any rain will be showery, mixed with bright spells and glimpses of sunshine. One of those April shower days.

Tonight

It becomes cold and clear with the risk of icy patches in the north. The frontal band clears off into the English Channel as showers continue to move in from the far NW with wintry bits over the hills. The westerly winds will strengthen over Scotland so a windy, cold night here.

Saturday

Tomorrow looks to be a better day for many with sunshine and drier conditions. However, there will be a brisk west wind making it feel chilly as a low pressure centre moves over Shetland. There will be showers still blowing in from the northwest. Scotland, Northern Ireland and NW England could see sharp downpours at times. By the afternoon, the wind will be from the NW and temperatures will have only reached 11 or 12 for most, so wrap up on Saturday even if the skies look bright.

Another cold night as pressure tries to rise in the south, but a frontal system topples rain and hill snow into the far NW

Easter Sunday

There are quite a lot of ingredients for Sunday. High pressure away to the SW, a frontal band coming in from the Atlantic. Cold air from Saturday night. It looks like there will be rain across Northern Ireland and a central swathe of Britain, with the risk of wintry bits/hill snow for western Scotland early on Sunday as it hits the cold air. Nothing major. Southern Britain could miss this rain band if the high keeps things steady and so have a fine Sunday with temperatures around 14/15C and feel okay, but nothing like last weekend. Northern Scotland could miss most of the showery outbreaks, and the western rain may have faded by the time it reaches eastern Britain on Sunday afternoon. It will be western and central areas having a damp day. Then another chilly night.

It is more likely to snow at Easter in the UK, than at Christmas

Easter Monday

Scotland maybe glad to miss the Bank Holiday on Monday as the weather looks grim. A cold north wind will blast north and eastern Scotland with a chill bringing the risk of ice to start the day and a wintry mix with snow for the Grampians, N.Isles and Highlands. High pressure could keep a lot of fair weather over Wales, SW Britain, N.Ireland and more of western Britain on Monday, so not bad here with light winds and temperatures at best 14C. It looks like a little area of low pressure could run close to NE UK bringing the cold winds and showery outbreaks to North Sea coasts. These bands of showers may get pushed further inland and affect more of central England, so lower confidence about this part of the forecast.

So, a cool Easter weekend, blustery with some showers but sunny spells in-between. Chilly nights with wintry bits for northern hills. A real mixed bag but nothing severe. If you do have a few days off, have a good break.