Much milder Sunday but Arctic air makes a return Monday

'Mad March' is certainly living up to its reputation, with the very cold wintry weather of the past few days replaced today by much milder conditions. It remains very changeable, however, with the colder weather returning on Tuesday, preceded by heavy showers and gales to start the new working week, which could be severe.

It's still cold over the far North East and central and northern parts of Scotland with some hill snow, but milder air will soon reach all but the far North. So for today, most parts will be noticeably milder, bringing a rapid thaw, and this, coupled with heavy rain for the North and West later, could lead to some flooding problems.

Whilst there'll be large amounts of cloud at times, much of England and Wales see some sunshine today, making it feel much more 'spring-like'. Apart from a few showers in the West, it'll be mainly dry before cloud increases more generally across the South West and much of Wales, bringing outbreaks of rain before the afternoon is out.

A somewhat blustery South West wind will freshen further in the West, giving strong gusts towards Irish Sea coasts later. After the recent cold weather, maximum temperatures of 10 to 12C will feel relatively balmy, with sheltered parts of the East and South getting as high as 13 or even 14C.

Northern Ireland will also benefit from the higher temperatures, but it'll turn wet after just a few showers at first. A southerly wind freshens with heavy rain in places accompanied later by mist and some hill and coastal fog.

Much of central and southern Scotland sees a drier interval this morning before most parts turn wet this afternoon in a South or South Westerly wind. But further North, the cold weather will be reluctant to move away, with Orkney and Shetland seeing outbreaks of rain, sleet and maybe wet snow. Here temperatures will struggle to reach 3 or 4C, but further South, 6 to 8C is more likely, with temperatures up to 10C towards Dumfries. This'll result in a rapid of lying snow, coupled with the rain, which could cause a few flooding problems.

Although mild most parts turn wet during the evening, as Atlantic systems associated with a depression moving towards Northern Ireland cross the country, the rain will be heaviest in the North and West, where it'll turn misty, with some hill and coastal fog. Across the East and South, although mostly cloudy, it should be less wet with maybe a few drier intervals overnight. It'll become windy across England and Wales, where a South-to-South Westerly gale will develop towards the Irish Sea and English Channel coasts. It'll be a very mild night, though in complete contrast to recently, with the thermometer unlikely to fall below 8 to 12C.

Across Orkney, Shetland and later Highland, it'll be a different story as colder Arctic air still lurking to the North begins to return south again. As a result, it'll be much colder here, with temperatures hovering not much above freezing as winds turn into the North or North East, bringing bursts of rain, sleet and snow. 

As our depression crosses Scotland, colder air returns South on Monday. But across England and Wales, although unsettled with blustery showers locally heavy perhaps with thunder, it'll remain mild where a South West wind will be strong and gusty, with gales severe in the South and West where gusts up to 60mph are expected. Over Scotland and Northern Ireland, showers turn wintry, giving mostly hill snow in a raw, gusty and strong North or North Easterly wind, with this type of weather spreading to most parts overnight.