A puddle on a gravelled surface with raindrops hitting it, creating a pattern of concentric circular ripples on its surface.

Met Office daily weather: The weekend brings a shift in conditions

The weekend brings a shift from largely dry and settled conditions to a more unsettled spell.

Saturday will start off dry for many areas, although rather cloudy skies are expected to dominate. Some locations may see bright or sunny spells, particularly earlier in the day, but these will become increasingly hazy as high cloud spreads eastwards through the afternoon. By evening, rain is likely to reach far western parts of the country, marking the beginning of a more unsettled period. Winds will also increase in the west as the day progresses.

As Saturday night approaches, cloud will thicken across all regions, with a band of rain moving slowly eastwards across Northern Ireland and western Britain. This rain may turn heavy at times and will be accompanied by strong winds, especially in exposed areas.

Temperatures on Saturday will be a little lower in the south and southwest due to stronger winds and increased mixing in the boundary layer. However, central and eastern areas may see temperatures a few degrees higher, with maximum values widely between 12°C and 14°C, and locally reaching 16°C to 17°C in any sunshine across the southeast.

Outlook for Sunday

Sunday will begin with rain across western areas, which will move eastwards through the day. The rain may be heavy at times, particularly over south-facing hills, but it will not be confined to these areas. As the rain clears, clearer and sunnier spells will develop from the west, although these will be interspersed with showers, some of which could be heavy.

Winds will be moderate to fresh, locally strong around coasts with a risk of gales in places, but these will ease later in the day. Temperatures will be mild at first, with maxima near normal for the time of year.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Alex Deakin, said: “A little murky in places to start the weekend. Certainly, chilly where we've got those clearest skies. In Scotland to the far north of England, we could be down to 5°C or 6°C even in urban areas. So rural spots even lower than that. But further south and west with more of a breeze that helps keep the temperatures up into double figures, even into the teens in some locations. So quite a contrast in temperatures first thing on Saturday.

“Some mist and fog around across parts of the north, but that should clear away through Saturday morning. And it's another dry, cloudy day overall, but it should be a brighter day. The cloud base will be a little bit higher. There'll be a few more breaks in the clouds. So, a better chance of seeing at least some glimmers of sunshine coming through. Again, parts of Scotland, but more particularly northern Scotland during Saturday afternoon, seeing some sunny spells. Parts of northern England also looking a bit brighter, but generally, with the clouds a little bit higher, it won't be quite so glum for Saturday.

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“Generally, a fine day really for this time in October, but the cloud is starting to thicken further west and there could be a few light showers getting into maybe Devon and Cornwall and Northern Ireland through the afternoon. Temperature wise, well again similar to the numbers we've seen of late, but because it'll be a bit brighter, we may see those temperatures up to 15°C or 16°C a bit more widely particular if you do see some sunny spells. But notice the breeze will be picking up in the west and that will continue through Saturday evening.

“There’ll be outbreaks of rain creeping into Pembrokeshire, Devon, Cornwall, then across Northern Ireland during the evening. And that rain is going to turn heavy in places. But the greatest cause for concern is across Northern Ireland, southeastern parts of Northern Ireland, especially seeing that rain once it set in through the night lasting well into Sunday morning, that could cause a few issues. We've got a Met Office yellow warning in place here.

“The rain doesn't stop there though. It continues to drift in. Parts of eastern England will have a dry Sunday morning, but by the afternoon that rain will have spread in. At the same time, Northern Ireland, Wales, Southwest England, come Sunday afternoon, may actually see that rain clearing away to something a bit brighter. The winds will be picking up everywhere as that rain moves in. So, basically a wet and windy Sunday afternoon for many.”

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