Cool temperatures spread from the north, but warmth persists in the south for a while longer. Expect rain and blustery showers in Scotland and Northern Ireland, while England and Wales enjoy mostly dry and mild conditions before the change arrives.
We're still in a mobile spell of weather, but it's a more typical pattern for the time of year than we've in recent, with the most changeable conditions often further north and west. Although not entirely settled, the south will generally see the driest, brightest weather, and for now, it's very mild as well.
To date, April has seen winds mainly from the southwest or south, keeping temperatures well above average, but there is cooler air on the way down from the north this weekend.
This month is renowned for 'spring northerlies', so it'll be interesting to see if there'll be another colder spell before the month is out, with the period into the final week of April bringing some late surges of wintry weather in the past.
After a grey, murky start in a few places, much of England and Wales will become fine and 'spring-like', although cloud amounts will vary. The south, in particular, will see some sunshine, but for many, that'll be spoilt occasionally by quite large amounts of mostly thin high cloud. The air is also quite moist, with mainly coastal parts of South Wales and the south and west occasionally plagued by sea mist and patches of hill fog. But it'll be mainly dry, although Cumbria and the far north of England will see a little light rain or drizzle, mainly at first.
The north and northeast of Scotland will see some sunshine, especially during the morning, but Northern Ireland and the remainder of Scotland will tend to be more unsettled and breezier. There'll also be some rain or drizzle, mainly in the west, making it misty at times despite a South-to-South Westerly wind that'll be pretty strong in the north and west. Here top temperatures will be around 12 to 15C, but up to 18C in the east. In somewhat lighter winds further south, though, a warmer 17 to 20C is likely over much of England and Wales, locally 21C over sheltered parts of the east and south.
Much of England and Wales will remain fine into the evening, although parts of northern England and perhaps the north and west of Wales may see a few showers before dawn. Patchy mist and sea fog may continue to lap onto some west and south-facing coasts, with a few places inland perhaps turning grey and misty overnight. But it'll remain mild here in a southwest wind with temperatures no lower than 11 to 13C.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland and chiefly the west of Scotland will be prone to showers, with broken skies at times in the east where it could stay dry. It'll also remain quite windy, with a southwest wind continuing to give strong gusts in the north and west—lowest temperatures here 6 to 9C.
While temperatures remain significantly above normal in the East and South, cooler weather will slowly work its way in from the North West. Scotland and Northern Ireland will see some rain followed by blustery showers. Still, as showers work slowly into England and Wales, they'll tend to fade, leaving the south, in particular, with another mainly dry, relatively warm day. Top temperatures will be 9 to 12C in the north and west and 14 to 20 more generally depending on how far east and south you are, in a mostly moderate or fresh South Westerly wind.
England and Wales continue mainly dry into the evening and after dark, with just a few showers for a time, mainly in the north and east. Scotland and Northern Ireland, particularly the north and west, see further showers, but there'll also be clearer intervals. It'll begin to feel somewhat colder almost everywhere in a Westerly breeze, with the lowest temperatures of 2 to 5C in the north and 6 to 9C further south.
