Met Office daily weather: Predominately dry with outbreaks of rain heading into next week

A dry start to the weekend with the risk of rain arriving on Sunday

Saturday will bring predominantly dry conditions across much of the UK, with sunny spells expected for most regions. The west will turn increasingly windy as the day progresses, with somewhat cloudier skies, especially across Northern Ireland and north-west Scotland. Here, a few showers may develop, but elsewhere the risk of rain remains low.

Temperatures will be rather warm for many, with the highest values expected in central, southern, and eastern England. Maximum temperatures are likely to reach 21–23°C, with isolated spots possibly seeing 24°C. Winds in the west will offset the warmth to some degree, but it will still feel pleasant in the sunshine. Saturday night will be notably warm nationwide, with overnight minima well above average, ensuring a mild start to Sunday.

As Saturday night progresses into Sunday morning, winds will increase further in western areas, with coastal gales possible around the Irish Sea and locally to the lee of hills. Outbreaks of rain may begin to affect western and south-western regions by the end of Saturday, becoming more widespread from the west and south-west on Sunday morning. Central and eastern areas will remain dry with clear spells overnight.

Outlook for Sunday

Sunday will see outbreaks of rain reaching western and south-western areas early on, before extending north-eastwards across the country through the day. Most regions are likely to see some rain at times, with a risk of isolated thunder, particularly in western and northern areas, which will be wettest. However, drier spells are expected for all, with the best of these towards the south-east.

Moderate to strong winds will persist, with a risk of coastal gales in the north and west, and very gusty conditions over high ground. After a mild night, Sunday will feel warm and humid in brighter spells, especially in East Anglia and south-east England, where temperatures are likely to reach the low to mid 20°Cs. Cloud amounts will limit higher temperatures, despite favourable conditions aloft. Humidity will reduce from the west and south-west later on Sunday, with temperatures dropping back to or a little below average as the day ends.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Aidan McGivern, said: “But we start Saturday with plenty of fine weather once again. The best of the sunshine will be across England and Wales. Eastern and Northern Scotland, Western Scotland, Northern Ireland. Again, seeing thicker cloud and some showery rain from time to time, but for most, actually, it's another dry, mostly settled day. The cloud tends to thicken towards the west. The breeze picks up as well. It's going to turn increasingly windy, particularly through the Irish Sea overnight.

“But through much of the day, it's looking like a reasonable settled spell with temperatures reaching 22 to 24°C towards the east and the southeast. It’ll be feeling a little fresher towards the west as that breeze picks up. There is rain waiting in the wings there towards the far west. That's going to push into parts of Northern Ireland by evening and that is a sign of things to come for later in the weekend and certainly into next week.

“An area of low pressure arrives, bringing with it tighter isobars. As the wind picks up, it’s initially going to draw up some very warm air across the east on Sunday, but with an increased wind and increased cloud, it won't feel particularly warm in many spots. The rain then moves in for much of Sunday from the west and that low dominating for the first half of next week bringing increasingly unsettled weather. So a dry couple of days coming up followed by more unsettled weather through next week.”