High pressure firmly in control but change arriving for the weekend

While bringing mainly dry, quiet weather, anticyclones at this time of year can cause forecasting headaches. One is predicting where skies will break, and another, currently, is determining how much a weak front in the North Sea moving around the periphery of the high will influence conditions, bringing mist, drizzle and gloom.

Near the centre of the anticyclone, much of Scotland and Northern Ireland have had clearer skies. The province is seeing more cloud than of late into Wednesday afternoon, while parts of Scotland continue to see some winter sunshine. Here though, patches of freezing fog and frost continue to linger, although cloud after dark giving drizzle here and there should lift much of the fog and frost, but it will remain misty.

Much of England and Wales remain cloudy, with the best of the breaks this afternoon giving some winter sunshine over Cumbria, to the west of the Pennines, over West Wales, the South West and maybe towards the South East and south coast. After dark, the West and South may see more in the way of cloud breaks, encouraging patchy fog and frost to form, but cloud amounts remain variable. Overnight it will turn very misty east of the Pennines, with some hill fog and patchy light rain or drizzle.

Our anticyclone remains in residence through Thursday, but with subtle changes. Most parts keep a lot of cloud, with probably a good deal of anticyclonic gloom in the East and across the Midlands. This could spread as far south as the Home Counties through the day, giving mist, patches of hill fog and some mainly light rain or drizzle in places. Elsewhere you have a better chance of skies breaking, but any winter sunshine will mostly be limited, after an early frost and some patchy fog in places to begin with. As winds will be light, it shouldn't feel quite so raw in the South as recently, with top temperatures mostly between 6 and 9C. However, where any fog tends to linger, it will be colder.

Although now weakening, high pressure remains in charge overnight. So little change in mostly light winds, with areas of mist and low cloud continuing to give a little light rain or drizzle here and there. Most parts keep a lot of cloud but, although difficult to pinpoint, the best of any cloud breaks should be in the West, the South West and maybe across Northern Ireland. Where there are any clearances, patchy fog and a touch of frost will form again, but temperatures on the whole shouldn't fall below 2 to 6C. The far North West and North of Scotland will probably see a southwesterly breeze bringing a few showers before morning.

Friday, although similar for a while, sees the beginning of a change as winds turn into the West and it becomes milder. This will clear away the murk for the weekend with some sunshine likely, especially in the South. But the North will be somewhat more unsettled, with occasional rain or showers.