Weather and climate change

Headline:

Occasional rain and snow across southern and western areas today.

Today:

Mostly dry across Scotland and northern and eastern England with some sunshine. Outbreaks of rain and mainly hill snow elsewhere, with rain becoming heavy and persistent across Northern Ireland. Feeling cold, especially in the brisk winds across the south.

Tonight:

Further rain, sleet and snow across central and southern Britain, with the snow most likely for Wales and central England. Mostly dry elsewhere with rain easing over Northern Ireland.

Thursday:

Outbreaks of rain, sleet and hill snow across central and eastern areas gradually easing. Some bright spells developing elsewhere before rain and hill snow spreads into the northwest later.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

Bands of rain interspersed by some drier and brighter periods throughout Friday and the weekend. Increasingly mild and possibly becoming very mild over the weekend in any brightness.

Updated: 04:00 (UTC) on Wed 18 Feb 2026

Quite changeable as Atlantic frontal systems track near or across the UK at times, bringing spells of rain, heaviest and most prolonged over high ground in the west and/or northwest, with comparatively small accumulations in more sheltered eastern and southeastern areas. It will often be quite breezy or windy, the strongest winds typically in the west or northwest. With a west or southwesterly flow tending to dominate, temperatures will likely be near or above average much of the time, especially over this weekend with some very mild conditions expected before a gradual downward trend through the final week of February back closer to average.

Updated: 14:00 (UTC) on Tue 17 Feb 2026

Confidence is rather low through this period with regards to the weather patterns affecting the UK. The most likely outcome is a continuation of rather changeable conditions, with low pressure systems tending to pass close to or to the northwest of the UK, bringing occasional spells of wet and windy weather, especially in the north west. High pressure to the south may build across the UK at times to bring some drier, quieter interludes, this probably most frequent in the south and east. Temperatures are likely to be near or slightly above average for the period as a whole, though some relatively short-lived interludes of colder conditions remain possible.

Updated: 15:00 (UTC) on Tue 17 Feb 2026