Met Office daily weather: Autumnal sunshine to return this weekend

This weekend’s weather offers a mix of autumnal cloud, sunshine, and chilly nights.

Saturday will begin on a cloudy note for much of the country, with the most persistent cloud and outbreaks of rain or drizzle affecting northern and north-western parts of Scotland. Breezy conditions will accompany the rain here, making for a rather damp and unsettled start. Across southern areas, cloud will also dominate early on, but a steady improvement is expected as the day progresses, with sunny spells developing and lifting spirits for those venturing outdoors.

Elsewhere, the morning will be rather chilly, with some areas waking to fog. This fog is expected to lift, giving way to bright or sunny spells as the day unfolds. Temperatures will generally be near average for the time of year, though eastern Scotland may see rather warm conditions, with local highs reaching around 18°C. South-east England could also experience similar warmth, making for a pleasant autumn day.

As we move into Saturday night, cloud and outbreaks of rain or drizzle will persist across northern and north-western Scotland, remaining breezy. For the rest of the UK, cloud amounts will reduce further compared to previous nights, leading to more extensive clear spells. This will increase the likelihood of fog developing, particularly across central England. Away from northern areas, it will turn chilly, with a patchy rural frost possible as temperatures locally fall close to freezing.

Outlook for Sunday

Sunday promises a largely dry day for most areas, with clear or sunny spells prevailing. Some fog patches may linger at first, especially in central parts of the UK, but these should gradually clear through the morning. The far north and north-east may see thicker cloud and some patchy light rain or drizzle, with the possibility of similar conditions spreading to eastern and south-eastern areas later in the day. Winds will be light to moderate, though locally fresh along coasts in the far north and far south. Temperatures will be mild at first in the north, but locally cold in the south, with daytime maxima near normal or rather warm for mid-October.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Honor Criswick, said: "High pressure sticks with us this weekend. Through Saturday morning, there's likely to be a fair amount of low cloud, possibly even some mist and fog in places, particularly across eastern areas where we saw a fair few clear skies through the overnight period. Otherwise, it should brighten up nicely through the course of the morning. Perhaps some cloud lingering across some southern counties still into the afternoon. But even here, we'll see some breaks allowing some brighter spells to develop.

“Now, a slightly different story across parts of Scotland, particularly the far northwest and the far north of Scotland. Plenty of cloud here and some quite persistent spells of light rain and drizzle which are likely to linger through much of the day. Elsewhere, though, dry, settled, plenty of sunshine, feeling warm in the sunshine, too. Highs reaching around 18°C. Even eastern areas of Scotland could catch some sunnier breaks. Feeling warm here, too.

“Now, where we see the sunshine through the day, that's where we'll see the clear skies linger through the course of the night. Mostly light winds, too. So, some mist and fog patches redeveloping overnight through into Sunday morning. Possibly some more fog during Sunday morning compared to this morning. So, keep an eye out for any short notice warnings. It's also going to be feeling chilly once again. And there will still be some drizzle, mostly across the Northern Isles, otherwise it will be dry. Towns and cities in the mid to high single figures, but in any rural spots, a good chance we could just dip below freezing.

“So, some possible rural frost. Any fog will lift and break once again through the morning. It will start to warm up through the course of the day. And on Sunday, we'll see a return of that autumnal sunshine. And it's going to be a much better day across northwestern and far north of Scotland. Less drizzle, more in the way of sunny spells. So, feeling a bit more pleasant here on Sunday. Fairly similar temperatures, highs reaching around 18°C.”