There is sunshine in the forecast for Saturday, yes high pressure is heading our way. Briefly. It should be dry for much of the UK, and sunny but also cold. Arctic air is moving down from the north for the end of this week. There will be frosty mornings and the Met Office has Snow & Ice warnings out for northern Britain starting later on Thursday and continuing overnight into Friday morning.
"Snow showers and icy roads could lead to some travel disruption." MO Scotland
Even though the Saturday sunny, drier break will be short-lived, it will be a welcome change for the regions which have been subjected to endless rain and February gloom. And it might be nice for Valentine’s Day to have a hint of spring in the air. It is also the Six Nations rugby this weekend. The weather looks much better on Saturday than on Sunday. And the Winter Olympics could see some unsettled weather by Saturday as yet another European named storm moves over Italy.
In Devon and Worcestershire there have been 42 consecutive days with rain recorded. Aboyne in Aberdeenshire has already seen 237% of its usual monthly rainfall and we aren’t even half way through the month. In County Down, 140mm rain fell in one day and for dreich Aberdeenshire, the re-emergance of the sun will be greeted with shock and awe. Dyce (home of Aberdeen’s airport) has had 21 days with no sunshine recorded and Durris, Aberdeenshire has managed 23 days.
Friday Evening
During Friday, the Arctic airmass will feed over more of the UK. The low pressure over SW Britain will pull southwards over France. Finally there will be brief respite for the saturated ground of Wales and southern England where river and groundwater levels remain high. As the frontal rain clears away, there will be sleet and hill snow on the back edge of the frontal bands.
If you are travelling on Friday evening bear in mind that there will be wet or wintry conditions for the southern half of Britain but clear skies, tumbling temperatures and the risk of ice further north. There will be a peppering of snow showers for NE Britain after dark on Friday.
After a mild day in the south on Friday, the cold air will really take hold overnight. High pressure will then build over Ireland and most of the showers fade. There is a signal for some of the snow showers to continue to pester eastern England with significant snow possible for the North Yorkshire Moors.
Check out the Netweather 'Will it Snow?' forecast.
Saturday
It will be a cold start on Saturday, with a sharp frost in the north. The showers around the Humber will turn to sleet as they reach Norfolk during Saturday morning. Across much of Britain the winds will be light on Saturday but this is a different airmass. Temperatures will typically be around 4 to 7C and although it will look much better out of the window, spring has not sprung. It is just that the sunshine has returned. Take a coat teenagers, it's still only February. There will be a brisk northerly wind around the Thames estuary and for Kent which will only ease in the afternoon. That will make it feel colder.
A southerly breeze will pick up for Northern Ireland in the afternoon and there will be high cloud across Ireland just signalling a change for Saturday evening.
Six Nations
The first Six Nations match is in Dublin as Ireland plays Italy at 14:10. It should stay dry, at 5C but there will be increasing cloud and the weather will deteriorate after the game, into Saturday evening.
Scotland v England 1640 Murrayfield, Edinburgh Temperature late afternoon will only be 3C and feel more like 1C. It will stay dry, even into the evening.
The increasing cloud over Ireland is an incoming Atlantic system. The weather fronts will meet the cold Arctic air over the UK and there will be rain, sleet and snow overnight. Ahead of this there will be an early frost for NE Britain and eastern England.
As the frontal precipitation arrives, the southerly winds will strengthen. There will be coastal gales around the Irish Sea, through the North Channel and for the Hebrides. If you are out in this in the small hours of Sunday, it will be miserable. Icy rain and snow, wind chill and low temperatures.
The back edge of the frontal band will bring sudden heavy downpours and gusty winds. This may wake you but for flooded areas, it is moving through.
The main frontal band will be over eastern England, down to the Home Counties by Sunday morning with a miserable start to the day. A dramatic change from the sunshine of Saturday with a blustery southerly wind. Wintry showers will follow for northern Britain with bright or sunny spells appearing. The wind will veer to the southwest and less cold air will appear. There will be clusters of heavy rain showers, particularly for SW Britain and Northern Ireland. It’s back to the rain with some milder air
For the Six Nations in Cardiff Wales v France is at 15:10. There is a high chance of rain but this is from these clusters of hefty showers coming in from the southwest. Temperatures could reach 9 or 10C but adding on the breeze and the rain it will feel more like 5C.
If you are travelling elsewhere in Europe or just watching the Winter Olympics at home, the succession of storms bringing heavy rain continues, as does the risk of flooding in some areas. Meteo France has named Nils midweek for a windstorm and by Friday and Saturday there will be Oriana heading for Italy, after more issues in Spain. To be up to ‘O’ with the named storms shows how impactful the weather has been for Iberia in particular. There is a high pressure heading for Portugal and Spain next week which would be good news. Do use MeteoAlarm if you are travelling to get an overview of all the warnings from national met. services.
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