The weather during the upcoming week is back to being changeable with spells of wind and rain moving through. There'll also be changes of temperature, with some colder air and a more wintry feel during the first half of the week.
It's time for a weather change. Amazing to think that this time last week we saw a rare, intense high pressure over the UK, but just a week later it's already faded with low pressure making its presence felt again. The weather is going to stay changeable too, and with some colder air in the mix during the first half of the week, there will even be some wintriness. Any long-lived lying snow will be limited to the hills though.
The first in several spells of rain or showers this week is on the move from west to east during today (Sunday). Behind it, skies will clear with some sunny spells breaking through in the west, and mainly northwest later on. There will be some showers too though, which will become wintry across Scotland - especially up over the high ground.
Into the late afternoon and early evening, as the rain band is getting into the southeast corner, showery, heavy rain will make a move in from the southwest up over Ireland. As that heads north and east, it'll meet some colder air, turning the showers to sleet and snow over the hills. That could lead to some accumulations by morning in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England, affecting the highest routes. With some icy roads and pavements likely as well.
Monday sees those showers continue, with sunny spells in between. It'll be a cold feeling day, especially if you have no shelter from what'll be a keen wind, and particularly across the northern half of the UK, where the showers will continue to be wintry. Temperatures will vary from 3-6c across the north, 6-9c further south - but you can knock a good few degrees off of those numbers once you take the wind into account - making the northern half of the country feel sub-zero.
Later on in the day, more prolonged spells of rain (with sleet and snow up over the hills) may move up from the southwest, clearing overnight. Once it's moved through, skies are likely to clear for a time, bringing a risk of some ice - especially in the north and west of the country. Tuesday then starts chilly with sunny spells, but showers will develop, blowing through on a strong west to northwest wind. The airmass over the country will be cold enough by this point that just about anywhere could see a little bit of wintriness in them, but that risk will increase with height, and the further north you are.
After a chilly, potentially icy start again, our brief flirtation with winter will end on Wednesday, with milder air arriving up from the southwest as a low pressure system approaches. High pressure nearby should keep any showers few and far between across much of England and Wales, but a spell of wet weather is likely for northern and western Scotland. Temperatures will quickly climb through the day, reaching double-figures in the southwest during the afternoon.
The weather will be very mobile during the second half of the week with spells of rain or showers moving through most days. Thursday is likely to see mostly patchy wet weather, and it'll still be mild. The next one, later on Thursday and during Friday will be a cold front though, bringing more meaningful rain and a colder, fresher feel with wintry showers returning to northern hills behind it.
Looking further ahead, next weekend is likely to start with sunshine and showers - these most frequent and heavy in the north and west, with snow over the high ground in the north. But the next system won't be far off, bringing more rain - especially across the northern half of the country and another switch of airmass with the mildness returning.