From snow showers to warm sunshine, UK Easter weather is unpredictable. We examine historical trends, the impact of Easter's timing, and the forecast for this year's holiday weekend
The date of Easter is set by the timing of the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon (a rough approximation of the astronomical full moon). It can fall on any day between March 22 and April 25. Over the years, there have been calls to fix the date of Easter later in the year. The reasoning is that the weather might be more reliable for outdoor activities, offering warmer temperatures, longer daylight hours, and a greater likelihood of sunshine. However, the current system remains, partly to align with the Jewish feast of Passover, which is when most Christians believe Jesus was crucified.
In 2025, we have a late Easter, with Easter Sunday falling on April 20. Historically, late Easters have tended to be warmer and sunnier on average than earlier ones. However, this relationship is weak due to the often erratic nature of warming trends during spring. Indeed, for 2025, many parts of the UK might have experienced a warmer, sunnier Easter had it fallen earlier. Many areas enjoyed an exceptionally dry and sunny March, followed by a very sunny first half of April.
Despite the sunny start to spring, the Easter weekend of 2025 is shaping up to be a traditional mixed bag of weather, rather than the washout that seemed likely about a week ago. Today, most places, except Northern Ireland and the far west of Scotland, should see the weather turn mainly dry with sunny spells. Easter Sunday also looks set to be dry and bright for most, although some rain is expected in the far north-west of Scotland, and scattered showers are likely in south-western Britain. On Monday, some rain will spread from the west into southern and western Scotland and north-west England. Most of Wales and the southern half of England can expect scattered sharp showers mixed with sunshine, while north-east Scotland will have a dry, sunny day.
Past Easters have sometimes been snowy, even when falling in mid-April. One stark example was Easter 1998, when Easter Sunday was on April 12. After a wet Good Friday for most, a northerly flow brought a mix of sunshine and wintry showers from April 11 to 13. Some places woke up to a covering of snow on one or two mornings, although it quickly melted in the sun on low ground.
The late Easter of 1995, with Easter Sunday on April 17, coincided with one of several temperature swings that spring. Good Friday was warm and sunny for most, but Saturday and Sunday were cooler and cloudier. Monday was dull and wet for many, turning wintry in Scotland. Snow showers occurred in many places the following Tuesday.
Similarly, during Easter 1990 (Easter Sunday, April 15), despite April generally being dry and sunny with warm days and cool nights, the holiday weekend featured a mix of sunshine, showers, and north-westerly winds. The showers were wintry in places, especially in the north.
April 2000, when Easter Sunday fell on April 23, was an exceptionally wet month. However, the Easter weekend avoided the numerous dull, wet spells of that month. It was relatively warm with southerly winds, sunshine, showers, and some thunder.
Snow in April has become less common in recent decades, but widespread snow in mid-April is still possible. This was demonstrated by wintry showers falling quite widely near the end of April in 2016 and 2017. There was also falling and lying snow in north-east Scotland in late April 2015. Since 2000, the most notable snowy Easter was arguably in 2008, an early Easter with Easter Sunday on March 23.
However, recent late Easters have often been warm and sunny for most of the country. Notable examples include 2019 (Easter Sunday, April 21) and 2022 (Easter Sunday, April 17), both featuring high pressure and southerly winds.
The late Easter of 2014 (Easter Sunday, April 20) also brought a fair amount of warm, dry, sunny weather for many, although Easter Sunday itself was very wet in the south. During the record-breaking warm and sunny April of 2011 (still the warmest April on record for most of the UK), Easter Sunday fell late, on April 24. While the Easter weekend marked the breakdown of the very warm and sunny weather from mid-April that year, most places still enjoyed plenty of warm, dry, sunny conditions.
This recent trend contradicts the popular perception that cloudy and wet weather often coincides with holiday weekends. While 2025 might have been luckier with the timing of Easter for ideal outdoor activity weather, the forecast weekend could easily have been cloudier and wetter than currently expected.
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