UK weather

Headline:

Fine start. Turning wet and windy in the north later.

Today:

A fine day for many with variable cloud and sunny spells. Feeling warm in the south and east. A few showers possible in the north, ahead of rain and stronger winds reaching Northern Ireland and western Scotland in the afternoon.

Tonight:

Windy in the north with outbreaks of rain this evening, heavy at times, then turning drier overnight. Cloud reaching southern areas later, bringing coastal and hill fog to the southwest.

Thursday:

Cloud and patchy rain clearing the far south through the day. Largely dry elsewhere with sunny spells. Remaining windy in the northeast. Cool in the northwest, warm in the southeast.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

Areas of cloud and rain continuing to affect northern regions into the weekend. Fine and dry further south with temperatures gradually rising under the spells of strong sunshine.

High pressure will dominate across England and Wales over the weekend and into next week. This will bring dry and warm conditions with plenty of sunshine for most. Scotland and Northern Ireland will probably see more cloud, with periods of rain at times, mainly affecting western Scotland. Through next week the high pressure may extend northwards at times to bring periods of drier and warmer weather to Scotland and Northern Ireland. Winds will be light to moderate for most, though stronger around northern hills and coasts near low pressure systems. Temperatures will rise through the early part of the period, becoming very warm or hot in parts of the south and east.

From mid July, high pressure is more likely than low pressure, bringing a greater chance of settled and drier conditions. Occasionally this dry and warm weather could be interrupted by outbreaks of rain and stronger winds, which will be more probable in the north or west. As is typical for the time of year, there is a risk of heavy, thundery showers during any warm spells. These conditions are likely to persist through to the end of July, with unsettled interruptions perhaps becoming more common, but confidence at this range is low. In any case, temperatures are likely to be above average overall, with a greater than normal chance of hot conditions developing at times, especially in the south.