Met Office daily weather: Changeable conditions with rain, showers and cooler air

This weekend will bring a mix of weather across the UK, with rain, showers and a noticeable drop in temperatures.

Saturday’s forecast carries some uncertainty, but the most likely scenario is a band of rain affecting parts of south-west England, Wales, northern England and south-east Scotland. To the south and southeast of this rain band, it should stay mainly dry with some sunny spells, although there is a risk of thundery showers developing in the southeast.

Elsewhere, Scotland and Northern Ireland can expect sunshine and showers, with the potential for these to merge into a longer spell of rain in the far north later in the day. It will be windy at times, particularly across some southern and western areas.

Temperatures on Saturday will be a few degrees cooler across central and western regions, while the southeast could remain rather warm, most likely reaching 20–21°C, with a chance of local highs up to 23°C if skies stay clear. However, this warmth is highly dependent on how weather fronts evolve to the west.

Overnight, the band of cloud and rain is expected to clear south-eastwards, lingering over eastern and southeastern England by dawn. Any strong winds will gradually transfer east. Scattered showers will continue in the north, possibly merging into a spell of heavy rain in northern and northeastern areas. It will be a cooler night nationwide, with the possibility of an isolated air frost in rural Scotland.

Outlook for Sunday

On Sunday, rain across much of England and Wales will clear eastwards early in the day, with strong winds possible along some North Sea coasts for a time. Residual cloud and lighter rain will move south through England and Wales, likely breaking up as it does. Elsewhere, showers, some locally heavy with a small chance of thunder, are expected for many northern and western areas, with some developing inland too. Winds will ease from the southwest as the day progresses.

Temperatures will fall below average, especially from the northwest, with daytime highs in the mid-teens at best. Overnight, some areas could see frost where skies clear and winds are light, even relatively far south.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Honor Criswick, said: “It is going to be an unsettled start to the weekend for many as this system once again slowly approaches southeastern areas. Now, there is a yellow rain warning in force due to some heavy downpours which could cause some localised flooding, particularly across northern parts of England, western parts of Wales. So, keep an eye on our website for any details on those. Plenty of blustery showers starting to push into Scotland and Northern Ireland. Some sunnier breaks across the Scottish Borders and the far north of England.

READ MORE: Met Office Weekend weather: Heavy rain, warmth, and a turn to colder conditions

“And once again across the very far southeast remaining mostly dry though we can't rule out a shower into the afternoon which once again could be heavy with the odd rumble of thunder. Now temperatures a degree or down two compared to this afternoon but highs still pushing in to the low 20s across the southeast but feeling much fresher across the far north, uh, particularly in the brisk breeze.

Now later into the evening we do eventually say goodbye to the front bringing us all the cloud and rain. And it pushes its way into the North Sea. Though we could still see some heavy bursts, possibly some blustery winds across eastern coasts as it does so. And then we start to drag in a northerly flow of air. So, things are going to start to feel quite chilly as we head through into the second half of the weekend.

“Still, plenty of cloud across much of England and Wales. Some showery outbreaks, some breaks in the cloud at times leading to some brighter spells and a mix of sunny spells and showers across the far north. Sunny spells in between, but some of these showers could be blustery. It may even bring a sprinkling of snow across the highest hills in Scotland, too. So, it's feeling a lot more wintery as we head into Sunday. Very blustery. And although temperatures widely in the mid-teens, where you do catch that brisk wind, it's likely to feel much chillier than that, particularly across Scotland.”

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