After one of the sunniest, mildest Aprils on record in most parts, the month is certainly going out on a much cooler, wetter more cloudy note.
After one of the sunniest, mildest Aprils on record in most parts, the month is certainly going out on a much cooler, wetter more cloudy note. But although disappointing, this'll be great news for most farmers and growers who have been praying for rain for several weeks now.
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It's a dull, wet start across southern England, East Anglia, much of the Midlands and Wales where they are seeing their first widespread rain of the month. Some of it is heavy and persistent and will probably get about as far North as a line from Hull to say Blackpool through the day. By the afternoon the rain should mostly have cleared from southern England, but the South West could see a few locally heavy showers moving in later. It'll be much cooler than yesterday particularly towards the South East, with temperatures only about 9 or 10C in the rain. In the South though, 13 or 14C is more likely, in mostly light breezes from the North East.
Over Scotland, Northern Ireland and the far North of England it'll be brighter but chilly after an early touch of frost in some Scottish rural valleys. There'll be sunny spells but also scattered showers some heavy by the afternoon particularly over Scotland. Here a light locally moderate North or North Easterly wind will feel chilly out of the sun, with top temperatures no higher than 9 to 13C.
During the evening remaining rain or showers across England and Wales should largely 'peter-out', leaving a fair amount of dry weather overnight. Most parts keep a lot of cloud, but skies will break here and there, with lowest temperatures mostly in the range 5 to 8C. Winds remain primarily light but with a freshening Easterly across the far South later in the night, as more Atlantic systems bring further outbreaks rain to Devon and Cornwall by dawn.
Over Scotland, Northern Ireland and the far North of England remaining showers fade into a chilly evening, to leave clear spells overnight. This coupled with generally light winds will allow another slight frost to form mostly over rural parts of Scotland and Northumberland, with lowest temperatures mainly in the range -1 to +3C.
After a bright start in the North, Wednesday sees rain spreading to most parts. There'll be several hours of it heavy in places, followed from the South by sunny intervals and scattered showers. Across Scotland, after an early frost in places, there'll be sunny spells, especially in the North, but also the odd shower. Towards Dumfries and in the South, however, increasing cloud may bring some rain later. Winds stay light over Scotland, but an East wind elsewhere will feel chilly, before 'veering' southerly. Top temperatures only 8 to 12C, with 13 to 15C possible later in the South.
Outbreaks of rain move into Scotland during the evening, where together with most of Northern Ireland it'll be a wet night. After some rain at first into the evening towards the Scottish border, for most of England and Wales, it'll be a story of broken skies and scattered showers after dark. Some could be heavy in the West and South of the M4, but with a southerly wind over England and Wales and a good deal of cloud elsewhere, temperatures generally shouldn't fall below 7 to 11C.