Weather and climate change

Headline:

Wintry at first, turning milder.

Today:

A band of rain, preceded by some snow, will clear quickly eastwards this morning, leaving a covering of snow across East Anglia. Brighter weather following, with showers affecting northwestern parts. Windy for many, with temperatures closer to average than recently.

Tonight:

Breezy with showers across northwestern and central areas. Mostly dry in the south and east with clear spells and a patchy frost.

Sunday:

Southern and eastern parts dry with sunny spells. Showers affecting the northwest, with a spell of more persistent rain later.

Outlook for Monday to Wednesday:

Unsettled, rather mild and windy with rain at times, heavy in the west. Colder for Scotland with some hill snow. Gales in the south, and later in the north.

Updated: 04:00 (UTC) on Sat 16 Jan 2021

Rain and strong winds clear from the southeast during Wednesday. Most areas will see bright and mostly dry conditions following, but showers will affect the north and northwest. From Thursday onwards rather cold and unsettled conditions look likely for most of the UK, northwesterly winds will bring frequent showers, particularly to north and west-facing coasts, falling as snow over high ground and also down to lower levels at times. Atlantic low-pressure systems are expected to cross the south of the county at times, bringing rainfall and periods of slightly milder temperatures, and there will be a risk of snowfall on the boundary between the mild and cold airmasses. Northern and central areas are more likely to be affected by wintry hazards during this period.

Updated: 04:00 (UTC) on Sat 16 Jan 2021

Confidence for this period is low, though there is a signal for weaker than average westerly winds and for Atlantic low-pressure systems to track further south than normal. This will bring below-average temperatures to the north of the UK, as well as a higher likelihood of wintry precipitation. Further south, there is a continued risk of unsettled conditions, with above-average rainfall and periods of slightly above average temperatures. There remains the potential for significant snowfall along the boundary between colder air to the north and the milder air in the south, with the greatest risk across central and northern areas. Through this period there is a greater than average chance of cold spells spreading across the whole UK at times with the associated risk of wintry hazards

Updated: 04:00 (UTC) on Sat 16 Jan 2021