A mostly dry and sunny Sunday, cloudier skies for Scotland with some patchy rain. Cloud and rain spreading south Monday, followed by cold arctic northerly wind with wintry showers on Tuesday and Wednesday.
After a settled period of weather over the past week thanks to high pressure in control, the UK is set for a big change as we start the new week, as an area of low pressure dropping southeast from Iceland introduces a surge of cold air and wintry weather from the north. Tuesday and Wednesday will be on the cold side for late April, with scattered showers which will fall as sleet and snow in the north – even to lower levels.
For now, it’s been a chilly start for some where skies have cleared overnight, with a rural frost across central and northern areas. High pressure remains in control for Sunday across much of the UK, so it will be largely dry with sunny spells developing more widely after a cloudy start for some across southern areas. The exception will be across northern and western Scotland along with Northern Ireland – where we will keep more in the way of cloud through the day, with a few showers across northern Scotland this morning. The cloud gradually spreading south across the rest of Scotland through the day after a bright start, showery rain across northern and western Scotland turning more persistent later. Windy across the far north, with gales developing in the northeast.
Temperatures reaching 11-13C across Scotland and Northern Ireland, 13-15C across England and Wales, perhaps 16C in London, feeling pleasant in the sunny spells. So comfortable temperatures and remaining dry for the London Marathon today.
High pressure holds across the south tonight, so staying dry with clear spells here. Low pressure system moving southeast between Scotland and Norway will bring a set of cold fronts south across northern areas overnight, bringing bands of rain south across Scotland and eventually N. Ireland and northern England by the end of the night, becoming windy too. Turning chilly first thing Monday morning across Scotland as the fronts and their rain clear south, with a frost developing in rural areas as temperatures fall close to or below freezing, wintry showers with snow over the hills could bring a risk of ice too. Temperatures generally holding up between 3-7C further south as it turns increasingly cloudy from the north, so generally frost free.
A cloudy and breezy scene across much of England and Wales on Monday, as bands of patchy rain continue to slip south along a set of fronts. Scotland, N. Ireland and northern England seeing clear skies but colder air moving down from the north, with sleet and snow showers affecting parts of Scotland driven in by a strong northerly wind – most frequent and heavy perhaps across the north and east. Mild air hanging on across southern England bringing temperatures of 11-15C, turning colder further north with 7-10C across northern England and Wales, but only 3-6C the afternoon highs across Scotland and N. Ireland.
Tuesday and Wednesday will feature a cold northerly wind across all parts, bringing sunshine and scattered showers – which will be locally heavy with hail and thunder and will fall as sleet and snow across the north – even to lower levels, with some appreciable accumulations over the hills to watch out for. Temperatures reaching 6-8C at best across the north, 9-12C across the south. Cold overnight, with a widespread frost developing under clear skies.
Perhaps staying moslty dry across north and west on Thursday as high pressure builds in from the west, further scattered showers developing across central, southern and eastern England, though less cold everywhere as the northerly wind eases.
It’s looking largely dry and bright with only isolated showers on Friday across England and Wales, a little warmer too. Perhaps cloud and patchy rain arriving across Scotland and N. Ireland through the day.