28/01/2017 Weather for the Week Ahead

Hello. January has been dry and we've been watching for the change

to much more unsettled weather for a some time,

and it now looks as though it's starting to take place.

It certainly has been changing through the day on Friday,

the milder Atlantic air finally bringing some rain into the west.

Temperatures have risen, and we've started to move this cold air,

this cold continental European air away from the UK.

It's a gradual process,

so across northern and eastern areas we'll have freezing fog,

we've still had some ice around,

and we could well still have some cold weather

through the first part of Saturday morning,

because after all, it takes a while for the ground to warm up.

So some of this rain that you see will fall as wintriness

in the hills, so some sleet and snow,

and also falling onto the frozen surfaces

it could actually be quite icy

for some parts of Northern Ireland in particular,

western parts of the UK, Scotland, Northern England.

So that's something to concern ourselves about on Saturday morning,

but gradually through the day it will get milder.

Still a lot of very murky weather, some fog and some hill fog around.

Through the second half of the day, brighter weather coming in

to Northern Ireland and western England and Wales,

eventually Scotland as well,

but the east of Scotland, the east of England,

could well hang onto some rather grey conditions

with some showers for much of the day.

It's not particularly warm, still,

but 5s and 6s are still better than the 2s and 3s we've seen this week.

That area of rain finally clears through Saturday night.

Little ridge of high pressure temporarily, but not for long,

and this is what's giving us a headache for the weekend -

this area of cloud and rain and how far north it's going to come.

And the computer models have been disagreeing a little bit,

so there's still a question mark.

It looks at the moment, and has done quite consistently,

like Scotland should have a dry and fine day.

We'll get off to a dry and fine start in eastern areas.

But now it looks as if some of the heaviest rain could

scoot up across Northern Ireland and western parts of the country.

Strong winds with it, as well.

And there'll be some damp weather elsewhere across England and Wales,

certainly a cloudier and damper day than we've had for some time,

but at least it'll be mild in the rain.

In the north, well, some sunshine,

but probably 5 to 7 degrees the high.

Then Monday. That rain, as you saw, moves away.

We've got the next band of rain moving in.

So it's a much more unsettled picture, really,

through Monday and Tuesday.

Look at the bigger picture - you can see that low pressure

running up the western side of the UK.

It's still taking its time to get across to the eastern side,

so not as much rain here.

It still looks as if the heaviest rain and the strongest winds,

with gales or severe gales, will be in the north and west.

Eventually those weather fronts

do make their way across England and Wales,

and look at the temperatures! Double figures for all.

So there's our low pressure, there's our weather front on Tuesday

gradually moving eastwards.

The next low pressure is lining up for Wednesday,

so you're seeing the pattern as we move through the week.

That high pressure is much, much further eastwards now

and has relinquished its grip on the UK.

So early in the week it's still close by,

so it's limiting how quickly the wind and rain

gets across to the eastern half of the country.

It will be wetter and windier in the north-west.

But from midweek on, really, those low pressures look as if

they will push right across the UK towards Scandinavia.

Behind them there'll be temporary incursions of chillier air

with showers, and they'll be wintry on the hills,

but then there'll be another low pressure quickly following it in,

so bringing all parts some spells of wind

and some rain as well. As I say, early in the week

they're blocked slightly by that high pressure,

and there will be some chillier interludes,

just not as cold as it's been in the past week or so.