The weather through Thursday and Friday will bring a marked transition to colder and more unsettled conditions across the UK, with periods of rain, hill snow and wintry showers. 

During the early hours of Thursday, a band of rain will linger across southeastern parts of England before gradually clearing eastwards. A second area of rain will then move north‑eastwards, merging with a broader zone of rain and hill snow across northern parts of the country. This combined area will slowly sink southwards as the day progresses.

To the north of this zone, clearer skies will allow sunny spells to develop, although scattered wintry showers are also expected, particularly for exposed coastal regions. Across southwest Britain, a mixture of sunshine and showers is likely, with some heavier bursts at times. Temperatures will feel on the cool side, especially in areas affected by the cloud and precipitation.

Overnight, the band of rain and hill snow across central Britain and Northern Ireland will continue its slow southward drift. As colder air filters in, snow is likely to fall to increasingly low levels, bringing the potential for icy surfaces by dawn. Several yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place until 12pm Friday. Further north, clearer skies will lead to widespread frost and some icy patches, accompanied by additional wintry showers in northern coastal areas. Across the far south, cloudier conditions will persist with a few heavy, slow‑moving showers.

Outlook for Friday

Friday will see outbreaks of rain and hill snow across central and southern Britain, gradually clearing towards the south through the day and into the evening. Brighter conditions with clear or sunny spells will follow, accompanied by further wintry showers, most frequent in windward coastal regions. It will be windy at times across the south, southwest and the far northeast, with daytime temperatures remaining below average for the time of year.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Annie Shuttleworth, said: “There will be quite a lot of cloud around on Thursday morning, bringing a fairly murky and chillier start to the day wherever you are. It will still feel relatively mild across the south during the day. Thursday will be another wet and cloudy day, though not quite as wet as it has been recently. The rain will fall in slightly different areas, with a band of rain sinking southwards into more southern parts of Scotland, northwestern England and Northern Ireland, where most of the rainfall will be focused. It will be light and drizzly at times, but it will turn to snow over the highest ground across the Pennines.

“Across the far southwest, there may be some glimmers of sunshine, although a brisk westerly wind will make it feel cool. In the north and east, a cold wind on Thursday afternoon will keep temperatures in the low single figures, and it will feel even colder than that. This colder feel becomes more dominant towards the end of the week, with a greater risk of ice and snow as well as frost as we head towards Friday.

“We have a number of warnings in force from Thursday evening into Friday for snow and ice across parts of Scotland and northern England. Snow could settle above 200 metres with accumulations of around 10 cm possible, and there is also a risk of icy surfaces. After recent rainfall, temperatures dipping below zero could lead to ice forming on untreated roads and pavements, potentially causing longer journey times.”