Holiday Weather: Cool, unsettled weather returns to Spain, Portugal and Morocco

With the Easter school holidays upon us and many families escaping for a break, I will take a look at what the weather is up to across southern Europe, Turkey and Morocco this week and next.

The UK and Ireland look set to continue with the prolonged dry, cloudless and sunny weather right through to the weekend, before a change to more unsettled conditions that could last through to the Easter Weekend. 

This change to more unsettled conditions will already be underway across the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores over the next few days, before moving in across Iberia later this week. An area of low pressure, named Storm Olivier (Borrasca Olivier) by the Spanish Met Service AEMET, the 15th named-storm of the season, will bring heavy rain or showers accompanied by strong winds to the islands today and tomorrow, before moving northeast to affect Iberia from Thursday and through the weekend. 

Low pressure moves in across Iberia later this week before eventually consuming all of western Europe from the weekend, bringing unsettled conditions, drier and warmer weather becoming confined to eastern and southeastern Europe in run up to Easter

It will be warm and sunny over the next few days across much of Spain and Portugal ahead of the arrival of Storm Olivier, temperatures reaching the low to mid-20s celsius widely, perhaps high 20s in southern Spain and Portugal on Wednesday. But Friday onwards temperatures will be quite a bit cooler, as low pressure bringing rain or showers moves in from the southwest. London could actually be warmer on Friday, with a high of 22C, than Lisbon and Malaga with a high of 19C or Barcelona with a high of 18C. 

Turning increasingly unsettled across Iberia and Morocco later this week, through the weekend and the run up to Easter

Morocco will also be affected by showers this week and into the weekend due to the close proximity of Storm Olivier, especially the northern side of the Atlas Mountains, but it will be increasingly warm, especially when the sun comes out. Temperatures reaching the low to mid 20s next few days, perhaps high 20s inland in places like Marrakesh on Friday. Temperatures cooling off over the weekend, as showers become more widespread, falling back into the low 20s.

It looks like staying unsettled and on the cool side with further showers or longer spells of rain next week across Iberia and Morocco, as further areas low pressure develops over western Europe or moves in off the Atlantic in response to a slow-moving upper trough amplifying south just to the west of Europe. However, there are hints that it will turn drier in time for the Easter Weekend, as high pressure builds in from the west.

Cold condtions gripping SE Europe will become confined to Turkey over coming days with Italy and the Balkans warming up, however, cooling off over Iberia and Morocco, as low pressure with unsettled conditions move in here:

Looking further east across southern Europe over southern France, Italy, the Balkans and Greece: much of this area, especially further east, has been in the grip of a cold wave that has plunged south over eastern Europe over recent days. Night time temperatures have fallen well below freezing across the Balkans over the last few days, with daytime temperatures reaching the low teens at best in some popular tourist destinations along the Adriatic, accompanied by strong cold northeasterly winds. Much of southern France, Italy, the Balkans and Greece will remain on the cool side for the time of year for the rest of the week, with temperatures reaching the mid to high teens at best. A few showers developing over higher ground of Italy, but most staying dry and sunny with a cool northeasterly breeze.

Turning increasingly unsettled from the west across southern France and northern Italy from Sunday and through next week through to the Easter Weekend, as low pressure becomes established, heavy downpours possible at times and windy too. Further south and east, southern Italy, the Balkans and Greece look to stay dry and sunny and become increasingly warm - temperatures inland reaching the high 20s Celsius.

Unseasonably cold weather affecting Turkey over the coming days, with snow inland

Further east across Turkey, which is in the grips of an unseasonably cold spell this week and into the weekend. Temperature in Istanbul expected to reach 9-10C at best for the rest of the week, even some snow could fall inland over higher ground across Turkey on Friday, rain at lower elevations, as a potent cold front originating in NE Europe, plunges south introducing another wave of arctic air. Temperature in Antalya in southern Turkey reaching a warmer 17-18C, but not exactly beach weather. Low pressure developing over Cyprus and southern Turkey over the weekend, bringing further showers into early next week, before turning drier, sunnier and warmer in the run up to the Easter Weekend.