18/12/2015 Weather for the Week Ahead

A few places in the south-east of the UK recorded their highest

December temperature ever on Thursday.

Normally, maximum temperatures this time of year

around about seven to nine degrees ,

but across the board nationwide again on Thursday,

temperatures were well above average,

peaking at around 16 or so in the south-east

and Friday is another very mild start,

some glimpses of the sun early in the morning

across eastern areas,

but it will be clouding over through the day

with rain setting in

across the northern half of the UK.

Further south, for most of the day,

it's probably going to be dry.

There may be a few showers across south-west Wales

in the morning, up across the north Midlands.

East Anglia and the south-east clouding over

after a bright start,

temperatures not quite as high as Thursday

so rain arriving in northern England,

chiefly in north-west England.

It'll be raining for most of the day

in Northern Ireland.

Heavier rain later in the day setting in

across the south-west of Scotland.

There could be as much as two inches

of rain before it clears away.

The rain just keeps going

into the evening across western Scotland,

another band of rain coming in from the Atlantic

bringing some heavier rain

back into Northern Ireland and across Scotland,

edging into England and Wales.

Another very mild night Friday night.

It could be a record-breaking night.

We've got this very mild air

ahead of that weather front there.

Behind it, the air's not particularly cold.

The really cold air is some way away

and it's not really heading our way just yet.

So a very mild start to Saturday,

some more rain clearing Scotland,

maybe petering out across northern England,

but likely to continue

across Wales and the south-west.

Heavy rain over the hills of south Wales,

a couple of inches possible here.

South-east of England generally dry and bright.

Even across Scotland and Northern Ireland,

the rain clears to some sunshine and some showers,

temperatures well above average.

These weather fronts on the scene,

this one here is a waving weather front.

There are pulses of rain on it, that's why we're getting

so much rain across south Wales.

Maybe returning to northern England,

but, by Sunday,

the heaviest rain is out into the North Sea.

So we're into a more showery mix on Sunday,

sunshine and blustery showers,

temperatures beginning to drop away a little bit

particularly across northern parts of the UK,

but still above average for this time of year

and then, steaming in from the Atlantic on Monday,

another Atlantic weather front

bringing wind and rain, gales, maybe severe gales

and some heavy rain,

especially over the western hills.

Maybe the number of flood warnings

will be increasing early in the week.

The rain does clear away for most areas

and it turns a bit brighter and more showery,

blustery showers, mind you.

Still a lot of isobars Monday into Tuesday,

these weather fronts pepping up any showers

cos broadly speaking, Tuesday,

with that weather front away to the south,

should be a day of sunshine and showers.

Could be a bit of snow

over the tops of the Scottish mountains,

some slightly colder air here,

still very mild to the south.

Earlier on this week

and for most of the week,

we've had the winds coming in from the south,

hence those very high temperatures

and records being broken.

But, as we approach Christmas time,

a subtle change, more of a westerly wind,

and that will steer areas of low pressure

to the north of the UK.

This is where it's going to be

wettest and windiest.

Towards the south,

we shouldn't get too much rain,

but because the winds are from the west

rather than the north-west,

we're still in mild air

for most of the time.

There will be some brief incursions

of colder air in the north of the UK

so any snow over Christmas

is in the Scottish mountains.

# Out there in the dark

# Out there in the dark

# There's a beckoning candle, yeah

# And while I can think

# While I can talk

# While I can stand

# While I can walk