15/01/2017 Weather for the Week Ahead

After all the recent issues with snow and ice and strong winds,

you may be pleased to hear that we've got

a quieter prospect through the week ahead.

Fairly benign conditions.

But in the short-term, we've still got a bit of a wintry issue

with rain spreading in from the west,

encountering cold air lodged across eastern England.

We could see a period of sleet and snow

for the likes of East Anglia, maybe the far south-east.

Certainly some icy conditions here first thing in the morning.

To the west of London, you'll notice temperatures

that bit higher, so there'll be rain coming out of the sky

at 10 o'clock in the morning. A damp and dreary Sunday morning.

A lot of mist and murk up over the high ground as well.

But it will be milder.

Up to 7, 8, 9 degrees quite widely,

and 10 degrees as we start today in Belfast.

A bit chillier still across the east of Scotland.

But for most places, it will feel milder

than it has done for some time.

The catch is it'll be damp and dreary.

There will be some drier spells developing across eastern parts

of England and also out west but through the central areas

I'm expecting further pulses of rain.

That's quite an important dividing line because to the west of that,

it's going to be mild, double figures.

To the east, that cold air hangs on through the afternoon.

Just 2 degrees there in Norwich.

As we head into the night, we'll continue to see these pulses of

rain pushing through central parts of the UK

and on into Monday as well,

by which time, hopefully some brightness developing

across parts of East Anglia and the south-east but not much in

the way of sunshine for most of us.

It does stay chilly, though, across these more eastern areas.

Just 5 or 6 degrees typically,

compared to the milder conditions further north and west.

Now for Monday into Tuesday, I think much of the rain

will tend to fade away.

It'll continue across the far north for a time,

courtesy of that weather front.

High pressure beginning to build in,

the weather starting to settle down, a lot of dry weather.

Best of the sunshine across East Anglia and the south-east but

ironically this is where the chilliest air will still be.

Just 4, 5, 6 degrees,

compared with the milder conditions further north and west.

So that is the story through the early part of next week.

Clear skies, yes, with some sunshine by day

but some fairly sharp frosts.

As low as -7 degrees perhaps in some rural areas.

By day, with the help of some sunshine,

we'll get up to around 5 or 6 degrees.

Further north and west, it will be milder and, in fact,

it'll feel quite pleasant, I think, with some sunshine,

but there won't be much in the way of sunshine -

a fair bit of cloud out there.

Temperatures, though, doing pretty well,

up into double figures in a good few places.

By the time we reach the middle of the week,

I think things starting to even themselves out a little bit.

So not just as chilly across these more southern and eastern areas

perhaps, and not just as mild across the north-west.

So most places stuck in single figures.

A fair bit of cloud around.

Hopefully where you are, you'll see something in the way of brightness.

Similarly on Thursday, there'll be lightish winds,

mostly dry conditions, a fair bit of cloud,

some glimpses of sunshine,

and temperatures mid to high single figures typically.

High pressure still in control, then, as we end the week.

It's showing no signs of going anywhere fast.

It is keeping the rain-bearing weather fronts mostly at bay,

so a lot of dry weather out there.

And that's because we've got a huge, great block in the jet stream.

The jet being diverted well to the north and to the east of the UK,

keeping those rain-bearing weather fronts well at bay.

And whilst we've got that big kink in the jet stream,

that high pressure is liable to stay in residence.

So a mostly dry prospect through next weekend, lightish winds,

where the skies clear, we could see some frost

and perhaps some patches of fog floating around as well.

That's it. I'll update you again tomorrow.