Met Office weather: quieter spells but more unsettled weather on the way

Thursday will begin rather cloudy across the far south‑east of England, with some light rain or drizzle at first. This will clear fairly quickly through the morning. A few early showers are also possible near eastern coasts, but these should be short‑lived.

Elsewhere, it will be a largely dry day with variable cloud and some sunny spells developing, particularly across central and southern areas. Where sunshine appears, it will feel pleasant for early April. Temperatures will generally be near normal for the time of year.

During the afternoon, cloud will thicken across north‑western parts of the UK as a band of rain moves in from the Atlantic. Rain will spread into western Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of north‑west England later in the day and into the evening. Over higher ground in Scotland, some of this rain may turn to snow. Winds will also strengthen in the north‑west, with a risk of coastal gales developing later.

With a powerful jet stream in place, a succession of low pressures will move across the UK as we head through the Easter weekend ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/oRqhMbonp0

— Met Office (@metoffice) April 1, 2026

Through Thursday night, cloud and rain will continue to spread east and south‑eastwards, reaching many areas by dawn on Friday. However, large parts of England away from the west and north are likely to see little rainfall. Winds will continue to pick up more widely, with blustery conditions developing and a continued chance of coastal gales in northern areas. Snow will remain possible over higher ground in Scotland.

Outlook for Friday

Friday will start dry in the south‑east, but elsewhere it will be rather cloudy with outbreaks of rain. Rain will be heaviest over western hills, before pushing east‑south‑eastwards through the day. Behind this, brighter skies will develop across northern and north‑western Scotland, with showers following on. In the colder air, some of these showers may turn wintry over hills.

Across southern England, it may remain quite cloudy and damp for much of the day. Later on, another pulse of rain is likely to move eastwards across Northern Ireland and northern England. It will be a windy day for many, particularly across central and southern areas, with gusty conditions around high ground, especially during the morning. Temperatures will be slightly above average in the south, but it will feel rather cold in the north.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Alex Deakin, said: “It will be a pretty chilly start to Thursday, with some frost likely for a time across Northern Ireland, although cloud will increase here through the morning. There will be a bright start for Northern Ireland and western Scotland, but skies will turn increasingly grey as the day goes on. Parts of East Anglia and the south‑east may start off cloudy, with perhaps the odd shower, though these will quickly fade.

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“For most places, Thursday will be dry and fairly bright, with some decent spells of sunshine. It will be a notably brighter day across much of Wales and south‑west England. Winds will generally be light, and after a cold start, temperatures will recover to around average by the afternoon, reaching the low teens in the south, though still lower than over recent days.

“Later on, thickening cloud will bring rain into Northern Ireland and western Scotland, with some hill snow over western Scotland during the afternoon. This will be the first of a series of weather fronts pushing in during Thursday evening, spreading rain into central Scotland, then parts of north Wales and north‑west England.

“That unsettled theme continues into Good Friday, bringing a soggy and blustery start to the day, particularly across northern England. Scotland may turn a little drier and brighter for a time, but further spells of rain are likely. For much of the UK it will be a cloudy day with rain on and off, and fairly brisk winds. Further south, rainfall amounts will be lower, with many places staying dry but rather cloudy. Temperatures in the south may again reach the low teens, though it will feel cooler in the wind and rain as we head into the rest of the long weekend.”

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