British Summer Time has begun, but unsettled weather lingers. It's not all doom and gloom, though, as there will be some sunnier and drier weather on offer during the remainder of the Easter Weekend.
I'm sometimes asked why the Easter break occurs at different times. Good question! It's because some religious festivals are based on the lunar calendar, with Easter always falling on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal (or spring) equinox. The moon was full on 25th March, almost immediately after the spring equinox, and so Easter is earlier this year. From one full moon to the next takes about 29 and a half days (a synodic month), and so the latest Easter can occur is in the third week of April.
There are few signs of an end to the wet weather until at least mid-April, so low pressure continues to govern our weather patterns, although things have settled down a little for the Easter weekend. Most of the country enjoyed a reasonable day yesterday. But if you're venturing out today, the South, West, and Scotland will generally see the best conditions.
It's a cold start to Easter Sunday with frost across much of Scotland (-4C at Altnaharra first thing), parts of the North East, Wales, and the West Midlands. There's also some fog that will lift into low cloud across some central and eastern areas, leading to more cloud coverage than yesterday. Scotland, the West, and parts of southern England should enjoy the most sunshine today. Apart from a few showers across Northern Ireland at first, these areas will remain mainly dry. However, East Anglia, parts of the South East, and eastern England will see some showery bursts of rain moving in later.
Temperatures will reach 13 to 15C in sunny areas, similar to yesterday, but where it stays grey, expect 10 to 12C. Along some North Sea coasts, a northeasterly breeze will make it cooler still, with temperatures around 8C.
After some sunshine to end the day, western Scotland and perhaps parts of Northern Ireland will see the best of any clear spells, possibly leading to a touch of frost again in sheltered glens. However, much of the country will experience cloud cover overnight, preventing temperatures from dropping below 4 to 8C.
There'll also be some rain or drizzle, mostly across northern England and central parts, with the South likely seeing skies clearing overnight. This may allow a few fog patches to form towards dawn, with misty conditions expected, especially towards North Sea coasts. Most areas will have a northeasterly breeze, with lighter winds in the South.
Although not entirely a washout, most of England and Wales will have a rather dull Easter Monday with mist, rain, and drizzle, and occasional heavier bursts potentially spreading north into southern Scotland. The South should be somewhat brighter, but this will likely trigger a few sharp showers. East Scotland will be mostly cloudy and misty at first, with sea fret along the coast. Further west and over sheltered parts of Northern Ireland, expect brighter conditions, perhaps with sunny intervals and mostly dry weather apart from a few possible showers over Northern Ireland.
Winds will be lighter in the South, but a chilly northeasterly breeze across the northern half of the country will keep temperatures down. On this cooler day, temperatures will likely not exceed 8C towards the East coast. Where sunshine breaks through, temperatures of 12 or 13C are possible, perhaps reaching 14C in the South and more sheltered parts of western Scotland.
The North of England, perhaps Northern Ireland and central parts probably see further bursts of rain and drizzle into the evening and overnight. Meanwhile, most of Scotland should continue mainly dry, with broken skies in the West and cloud in the East. Across southern England, there'll be a further scattering of showers, but broken skies at times also. Lowest temperatures 5 to 8C in a North or North Easterly breeze, that'll be light across most of England and Wales where it'll turn misty.
