The feed of cooler, fresher air from the north or northwest will continue for the rest of this week. Plenty of sunny spells might trick you into thinking it is fine and warm outside, which it will be in sheltered spots. However, anywhere in the wind or shade will feel cool as this air flows down from the Arctic. After dark, the air will have an edge to it with some nippy nights on the way. The flow will continue to bring showers, with northwestern Scotland and the Islands seeing plenty of lively downpours. There has been hail, and also lightning strikes on Wednesday morning and the Scottish mountain tops will see snow again today.
Netweather Radar showing moderate showers with lightning strike (coloured dots) and top 10 wind speeds
Little changes this week in the overall theme. Areas exposed to the northwesterly (or at times westerly) flow will see showers. The northern half of the UK is more exposed than the southern half and western areas will be more exposed than eastern ones. Northern Ireland, northwest England, north Wales and western Scotland will all see showers coming and going.
This week
On Wednesday, scattered showers will reach through the Midlands, Wales and across to eastern England but still with good bright or sunny spells in between.
The winds ease down overnight and with clear spells over Northern Ireland and northern Britain, it will feel chilly. Temperatures will fall into single figures with even a touch of grass frost possible. There will be a bit more cloud over the rest of England and Wales with a few more showers. North Wales and Merseyside keep a scattering into Thursday morning as a band from the Bristol Channel to Lincolnshire reaches Norfolk to Hertfordshire.
Low pressure remains centred to the north of Scotland feeding in this cool showery flow, but high pressure out over the Atlantic will subdue any shower activity over SW Britain. So southern Wales and the West Country look dry on Thursday. Elsewhere the showers will be well scattered across the UK. So everywhere seeing bright or sunny spells mixed with the chance of a shower. Scotland will feel cool with a westerly moderate breeze at 11 to 14C but inland southern Britain could see 14 to 18C.
It looks nippy for southern Britain overnight with hardly any breeze and temperatures down to 4C in rural spots.
Friday
Away in the far northwest, a band of heavier rain will arrive and make its way over mainland Scotland for the morning commute. This will trail heavy showers over Northern Ireland but brings a sudden change in the weather. From blustery SW winds with cloudy skies to heavy rain then sunny spells in a cool NW wind. The band of rain will turn to lively showers and should be over northern England by lunchtime. This should fade by Friday evening with a fair, bright evening for most although another rash of heavy showers will arrive in the far north again.
The bright conditions in the far north will still feel fresh, even cold in the westerly wind. Further south as bright or sunny spells appear it will feel pleasant enough at 17 or 18C.
The weekend
There will be plenty of fine, dry and bright or sunny weather this weekend. Clusters of showers will still flow down from the northwest on Saturday and the north on Sunday, mainly over Scotland. Temperatures across the UK in the sunshine will be around 15 to 21C. We can’t say when or where the showers will be but for a good part of Wales and England, there won’t be many this weekend. Scotland will feel much cooler in brisk winds on Saturday, less so by Sunday as the winds ease off.
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