0:00:01 > 0:00:04This week we said goodbye to our dry January and we opened up the doors
0:00:04 > 0:00:08to a succession of low pressures and rain for the start of February,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11but there were some other interesting facts about January.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Where you would expect the sunniest weather we had the sunniest weather,
0:00:14 > 0:00:18the longer days across the south, but unusually our windiest weather
0:00:18 > 0:00:20was across the tops of the Pennines, 94mph.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23That's because we had the inversion for a lot of the month
0:00:23 > 0:00:25and it whistled across the tops of the Pennines.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28And unusually - you'd normally expect the highest temperatures
0:00:28 > 0:00:30in the south - they were in western Scotland, which is also where
0:00:30 > 0:00:33we saw some of the wettest weather, although it was a dry January.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36But that wasn't the theme this week for the start of February -
0:00:36 > 0:00:38those weather fronts were lining up.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Sunshine was in more limited supply but we did see plenty of it
0:00:41 > 0:00:42today in Highland Scotland.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46This was more the picture, however, further south as that low pressure,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48that potential storm we were watching,
0:00:48 > 0:00:49has been affecting southern areas.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Gusts of wind up to 75mph through the evening in The Needles,
0:00:52 > 0:00:54so that's a severe gale.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57That's all heading northwards for Saturday and this next low pressure
0:00:57 > 0:00:59is going to batter parts of France,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02giving us some more rain in the south, we think.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04But actually, elsewhere will be some decent weather because with
0:01:04 > 0:01:09the skies clearing, ice becomes a concern for Saturday and Sunday,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12in fact, Monday morning as well. It's colder air across the country.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15This weather system has been giving some snow and that will be
0:01:15 > 0:01:17the case through Saturday in the north across Scotland.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19But not too bad Northern Ireland, northern England -
0:01:19 > 0:01:21the bulk of England and Wales, actually.
0:01:21 > 0:01:22There will be showers in the west later,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25and I mentioned earlier some rain close to southern and eastern areas
0:01:25 > 0:01:28and an overhang of cloud, so not a warm day at sixes and sevens.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30And through the evening and overnight,
0:01:30 > 0:01:32a band of showers will cross the UK.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Again they'll fall as sleet and snow over the hills.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39It's going to be a cold, frosty, potentially foggy start to our
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Sunday morning with some ice around, but again, limited amount of showers
0:01:42 > 0:01:44with a lot of places seeing some dry,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47some reasonably bright weather, even some sunshine.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49And that theme should continue into Monday with this ridge of
0:01:49 > 0:01:53high pressure across us, but this does look ominous, doesn't it?
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Taking up much of the North Atlantic,
0:01:55 > 0:01:56that huge area of low pressure.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00But Monday itself starts quiet, patchy fog and patchy ice.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03It's really going to take its time, we think, this rain, to get in,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06and because it's a slow process eastwards,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08that means there could be a sizeable amount of rainfall with it.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Because you can see, even as we go through Monday evening and
0:02:11 > 0:02:13into Tuesday, some snow, of course, over the hills.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15It's still quite chilly air, but it does take
0:02:15 > 0:02:17a long time to get into the east of England,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21but here then having the wet and the windy day on Tuesday.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22Brighter further west,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24but notice we're starting to pick up the easterly wind,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28almost the start of a battle zone entailing by the end of Tuesday,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and what we think is going to happen is that easterly wind will
0:02:31 > 0:02:34push that weather front back west.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36A very weak feature but it will obviously introduce
0:02:36 > 0:02:37quite a bit of cloud.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41But once that happens we're getting back into that cold
0:02:41 > 0:02:44continental air, this Siberian high pressure starting to dominate
0:02:44 > 0:02:47and block the passage of our low pressures.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50So we're getting to somewhat of a battle zone, potentially,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53and it's where that's going to lie that's causing the headache
0:02:53 > 0:02:54for next weekend.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57So, are we going to be on the cold side of that battle zone?
0:02:57 > 0:03:00If that's the case we'll have some frosty mornings, hopefully some
0:03:00 > 0:03:04sunshine and settled weather because of the high pressure over Siberia.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Or, if we're on the Atlantic side of that battle zone, well,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11we'll have more cloud and potentially some rain as well.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13So, all to play for for next weekend,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15but between now and then not too bad this weekend,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18then that wetter and windier weather coming through
0:03:18 > 0:03:20during the course of Monday and Tuesday,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24then it gets colder and drier until next weekend and then obviously
0:03:24 > 0:03:27we'll be looking at that in more detail and we'll keep you posted.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29The warnings are on the website.