A cold arctic plunge from the north today will bring showers of a wintry nature, even with the odd rumble of thunder. Further showers Wednesday, then turning less cold on Thursday and Friday.
It’s hard to believe that we are in late April as cold arctic air flooding the UK today from the north makes it feel like we are still in the depths of winter, especially in the north. A bitterly cold northerly wind has packed frequent and heavy snow showers down across northern and eastern Scotland overnight, bringing some atrocious conditions in places, with several centimetres of snow in places. 9cm of snow settled in Aviemore, 3cm in Aboyne and even a dusting as far south as north Wales and the West Midlands.
Snow showers are affecting the western half of Northern Ireland too, bringing a covering, and have even made their way as far south as Norfolk and Wales too.
It’s a cold and, in places, frosty start and this morning we continue with the wintry showers in areas exposed to the strong northerly wind across northern and eastern Scotland, N. Ireland, NE England and west Wales – falling as snow to lower levels inland. We also have some showers across the far SW of England too, but falling as rain here. Elsewhere it’s a dry and sunny morning so far, but later this morning and through the afternoon a peppering of showers will develop widely across Britain, as the sun heats up the air above the ground causing shower clouds to bubble up in the cold air. Some of the showers will bring hail and even the odd rumble of thunder almost anywhere, falling as sleet or snow too in the north and perhaps higher elevations in the south.
Some sunshine between the showers, but even with the sun strong in late April, it will be unseasonably cold, especially across the north where the cold northerly wind direct from the arctic will reach gale force at times. Despite screen temperatures reaching 6-9C across Scotland, N. Ireland and northern England, a significant wind chill across the north, feeling more like freezing across Scotland. Temperatures across Wales and the rest of England reaching 9-13C, coldest down the east coast.
As we go through Tuesday night into Wednesday, most of the showers will become increasingly confined to eastern areas, though some coastal showers in the west too. Clear spells elsewhere. A cold night, with a widespread frost developing, hardest where skies clear. Windy across the east.
After a cold, frosty but bright start, another chilly day with showers from the word go across eastern England then developing more widely across England and Wales through the day. Fewest showers across northern England, Wales and far SW of England, most frequent towards SE England – where they could be accompanied by hail and thunder. Less cold across Scotland and Northern Ireland, with cloud and patchy rain and hill snow spreading south. Temperatures reaching 7-9C at best down the east coast – where we’ll still have a cold northerly wind, elsewhere reaching 9-12C, turning milder across the northwest through the day.
Cold air will be kicked out to the east on Thursday as wedge of milder air topples in from the west over the top of high pressure to the west of Britain. After a bright and perhaps frosty start across the south, cloud and patchy rain or showers will spread southeast, followed by drier conditions across the north in the afternoon. Temperatures reaching 9-12C generally.
Patchy rain clearing the southeast first thing on Friday, then a generally dry and bright or sunny day as a ridge of high pressure builds in, though a few showers could pop up across southern England in the afternoon. Feeling pleasant in the sunshine. Temperatures reaching 8-10C in the north, 10-13C in the south.
The Bank Holiday weekend is looking like a tale of two halves, Saturday the better day being mostly dry and bright, while Sunday and Monday sees Atlantic weather systems encroach from the west bringing cloudier skies and outbreaks of rain across many parts.
Cloud and rain eventually clearing away early next week, then signs from some weather models of high pressure returning, but with the UK on the warm side of the high this time, with potential of temperatures reaching the low 20s centigrade on Wednesday, but this may change.