Weather and climate change

Headline:

Some snow in Scotland, milder further south with occasional rain.

This Evening and Tonight:

Bands of rain and showers, some heavy, will move east across central and southern areas, becoming slow moving across Scotland where some heavy snow is expected over the hills. Windy with coastal gales in the south-west.

Friday:

Rather cloudy with outbreaks of rain and some hill snow across northern areas moving south and turning more showery. Sunny intervals and scattered showers in south. Cold in far north.

Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

Rain in the south with snow across Wales and the Midlands. Brighter to the north with wintry showers. Cold, with overnight frosts for many. Windy in the south at times.

Updated: 16:00 (UTC) on Thu 28 Jan 2021

Going into next week, it is likely that unsettled conditions will dominate, with low pressure systems moving in off the Atlantic. The weather will be changeable. Periods of rain or wintry showers, and strong winds are likely, especially in the west, with brief more settled spells in between. Westerly or southwesterly winds during this period will bring milder conditions to most areas, but occasional interludes of cold northerly winds are possible. It will be on this boundary between the colder and milder airmasses where any snowfall to lower levels could possibly occur. Towards the end of this period, we may see high pressure build over the north of the UK, bringing colder conditions and wintry outbreaks.

Updated: 16:00 (UTC) on Thu 28 Jan 2021

Although confidence at this range is low, current signals suggest that high pressure could be positioned over the north of the UK during this period. This would likely bring wintry outbreaks and colder than average temperatures to northern areas, as well as increasing the likelihood of more widespread cold spells. Any periods of milder, unsettled weather are more likely to be confined to central and southern areas, where greater than average rainfall is predicted. There is a continued risk of significant snowfall events on the boundary between colder and milder airmasses, with snow possible to low elevations.

Updated: 16:00 (UTC) on Thu 28 Jan 2021