Met Office daily weather: Unsettled, but will trick or treaters stay dry?

The outlook for Halloween looks unsettled, but will trick or treaters stay dry?

Friday will begin with rain and drizzle over the far southeast, which will return northwards across central and eastern England during the morning. Some heavier bursts are likely, but these should clear eastwards by early afternoon. Elsewhere, expect clear or sunny spells to start, with scattered showers in the west, some of which may be heavy and thundery.

As the day progresses, a more organised band of showers will move northeast, reaching the southwest by mid to late morning and clearing from the northeast during the evening. This band may bring hail and very gusty winds for some, with coastal gales mostly in the west and very blustery conditions near showers. Temperatures will be near or slightly above normal, with highs of 16–17°C across much of England and eastern Wales, and 13–15°C for northwest England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the remainder of Wales.

Friday night will see some clear spells, but further areas of showers and rain will move east and north across the UK, some heavy with thunder. Winds will strengthen, with a risk of gales, especially in exposed areas. It will remain mild, with the highest temperatures in eastern and southeastern England.

Outlook for Saturday

Saturday will be windy, with rain and showers sweeping northeast and east, possibly heavy and prolonged at times. The most widespread wet weather is expected early on, though it may linger in the far northeast for longer. Showers will then focus mainly in the west and south, including the southeast, and may organise into bands later in the day, with an increasing risk of thunderstorms and small hail.

Good sunny spells will develop in between, especially in the east. Gusts to gale force are likely on exposed southern and western coasts, with a small chance of stronger winds more widely early on. Temperatures will be around or a little below average, and it will feel cold in the wind.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Honor Criswick, said: “On Friday, we'll see some drier spells to start, but we are also going to see some of those heavy showers once again. Some spells of rain starting to push into parts of the south and southeast before this very heavy band of rain starts to push in from the west.

“So, some quite heavy, blustery spells of rain through Friday afternoon. And even when it starts to brighten up later, particularly across the west, it is still going to be fairly windy once again, mainly around those exposed western coasts. Though, it is going to be a little milder. And the sunshine at this time of year has still got some strength to it. Highs of 16 to 17°C in any sheltered spots will feel pleasant for the time of year.

“Still fairly blustery as we progress through into the evening. For all you trick-or-treaters out on Friday night, there will be plenty of dry weather, although some showers. If you're out a little bit later, we've got another heavy band of showers pushing its way into Western Wales, parts of South and Southwest England. And with these too, there are going to be some strong blustery winds. So dry for a time but turning more unsettled later on into the evening and into the weekend.”