Easter sits at a crossroads in the UK weather calendar. Occurring in early to mid‑spring, it can fall under lingering winter patterns or benefit from increasingly strong sunshine.
As we head into the Easter weekend, conditions are expected to become more unsettled, with low-pressure increasingly influencing the UK’s weather. Spells of rain, some of them heavy, are likely at times, followed by brighter intervals with sunny spells and showers, with the driest conditions most likely towards the south‑east. Winds are also expected to strengthen, particularly in exposed north‑western areas.
While there remains some uncertainty in the finer detail, the overall signal points towards a wet and windy Easter weekend, a reminder that this time of year can deliver a wide range of weather.
The Easter weather station record book shows just how extreme conditions can be, from unseasonable warmth to late‑season cold, snow and severe gales. It is also worth noting that Easter does not fall on a fixed date, instead moving by several weeks from year to year. This means Easter can occur in late March in some years and much later in April in others, spanning a period when the UK’s weather can change rapidly as spring develops. As a result, conditions experienced over the Easter weekend can vary naturally depending on its position in the calendar, adding to the day‑to‑day and year‑to‑year variability that is typical of the season, rather than reflecting any single underlying trend.
Good Friday: from hard frost to early heat
Good Friday holds some of the most dramatic Easter records. The UK’s highest Good Friday temperature was 26.9°C, recorded at London St James’s Park in 2011, during a notably warm and settled spring. In contrast, the coldest Good Friday morning saw temperatures fall to ‑12.2°C at Wolfelee in Roxburghshire in 1917.
Good Friday has also delivered severe wintry conditions. The deepest snow depth measured at 0900 on Good Friday was 36cm at Strathdearn in Inverness‑shire in 2010. That same day has also produced the strongest Easter gusts, with 100mph recorded at Flat Holm in South Glamorgan in 1994. Rainfall extremes are just as striking, with 106.2mm falling at Kinloch Hourn in Inverness‑shire in 1967.
Saturday of Easter weekend: summer warmth and widespread snow
Easter Saturday holds the warmest Easter temperature on record. The UK maximum for the day is 29.4°C at Camden Square in London in 1949, a value more typical of high summer. That same year also features prominently across the Easter period for warmth.
At the opposite extreme, Easter Saturday has recorded a minimum temperature of ‑11.2°C at Braemar in Aberdeenshire in 2013, while the lowest daytime maximum was just 0.5°C, also at Braemar in 1951. Snow has been widespread on some Easter Saturdays, with a deepest recorded depth of 33cm at Strathdearn in 2010 and snow observed across 44% of the UK observing network in particularly cold years.
Easter Saturday has also brought heavy rain and strong winds, including 78.2mm of rain at Blaran in Argyll in 1972 and gusts of 81mph at Sumburgh and Kirkwall in 1992.
READ MORE: Fool’s spring: why warm spells can be misleading
Easter Sunday: sharp contrasts continue
Easter Sunday continues the theme of extremes. The UK’s highest Easter Sunday temperature is 25.3°C at Solent in Hampshire in 2011, while the lowest minimum temperature fell to ‑12.5°C at Braemar in 2013.
Some Easter Sundays have remained bitterly cold all day. The lowest maximum temperature recorded is 0.7°C at Lerwick and Baltasound in Shetland in 2008. Snow depths have reached 28cm at Balmoral in 1937, and snow has been recorded at over 50% of UK weather stations in some years.
Rainfall data includes 97.0mm at Llechwedd Quarry in Gwynedd in 1963, while wind gusts have reached 84mph at Fair Isle in 2016. Despite this, Easter Sunday can also be notably bright, with 14.1 hours of sunshine at Kinloss in Moray in 2014.
Easter Monday: storms, snow and spring warmth
Easter Monday has produced some of the UK’s most severe Easter weather. The highest temperature recorded on the day is 25.6°C at Bodiam in East Sussex in 1949, while the lowest minimum is ‑9.8°C at Lagganlia in Inverness‑shire in 1986.
The coldest Easter Monday daytime temperature was ‑0.9°C at Braemar in 2008, showing that true wintry conditions can persist well into spring. Snow depths have reached 25cm at Balmoral in 1937, with snow recorded at more than 55% of the observing network in particularly cold years.
READ MORE: What is diurnal temperature range and why it changes as we move into spring
Easter Monday also holds the strongest Easter wind record, with a gust of 106mph at the Needles on the Isle of Wight in 2016. Rainfall has been extreme too, including 108.7mm at Seatoller in Cumbria in 1991.
Sunshine at Easter: bright but deceptive
Despite its unsettled reputation, Easter can be exceptionally sunny. All four Easter days have recorded close to 14 hours of sunshine, reflecting the rapidly lengthening days of late March and April. These bright conditions often occur under high pressure, but as the temperature records show, sunshine does not guarantee warmth, with some of the brightest Easters also among the coldest.
Why Easter weather is so variable
The wide range of Easter records is explained by its position in the seasonal transition. Strong spring sunshine competes with cold air still capable of moving south from the Arctic. Small changes in wind direction or pressure patterns can dramatically alter conditions.
As a result, Easter can deliver almost any type of UK weather, sometimes within the same weekend. These records serve as a reminder that at Easter, preparation for all conditions is often the wisest approach.
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