09/02/2018 Weather for the Week Ahead

Hello there. We've seen unusually heavy snowfall this week in Moscow,

Madrid, Paris and record low temperatures in Lanzarote.

The blue colours, the cold air extends

across much of Europe at the moment.

Look out into the west, though, in the Atlantic.

These yellow colours something less cold

and it's rippling towards us

like waves crashing on a beach as we see the Atlantic jet stream

strengthen and bring slightly less cold air every now and again.

The blue colours, though,

will always dominate and cold air never far away

and that's the case as we go into Friday.

Cold air is back for many

after slightly milder weather on Thursday.

That gets swept away by outbreaks of rain,

a little sleet first thing

in the south-east corner

and then a spell of rain, sleet,

hail maybe even some hill snow

pushing across England

and Wales during the morning,

confined across East Anglia and the south-east

for the afternoon but elsewhere

further west and north, after an icy start,

there will be some sunshine developing quite

widely into the afternoon but further snow

and sleet showers across much

of Scotland, Northern Ireland

and even to north-west England,

could give a covering in places.

Temperatures back into single figures for many,

frost quickly forming Friday night,

becoming confined to central and eastern areas

into Saturday morning, but the next plume

of slightly less cold air

moves in with this weather front.

It's pushing in across some very cold air to begin with on Saturday,

so there could be a spell

of heavy snow over the hills of Scotland,

northern England, even a bit of snow

for a time to lower levels,

before that turns back to rain

as south-westerly winds dominate

and quite a wet afternoon on the way on Saturday

across many parts of England and Wales,

driest for longest East Anglia

and the south-east.

Turns dry and a little bit brighter to Scotland

and Northern Ireland later on Saturday.

Temperatures in double figures,

still cold across the south-east.

But through Saturday night, one to watch,

a deep area of low pressure developing

whilst it crosses the UK through Saturday night.

On the southern flank of it gales to severe gales.

England and Wales most prone to that at the moment,

but a lot of uncertainty how that will develop.

Now even if it's not a massive feature,

it'll push its way off into the North Sea

quite quickly on Sunday and then we tap back into those

colder conditions once again.

In fact, very cold air with this on Sunday,

the showers we see will be mainly of sleet and snow,

particularly the north and west.

Good covering of yet further snow

in places, maybe in the north and west,

sunshine in between and temperatures low single figures

made to feel colder by the strength of the wind.

Winds go a little bit more westerly as we go into Monday

but still cold air,

frosty icy start from many,

still some sleet and snow around

in the form of showers,

mainly to the western half of the country

and then fewer showers in the afternoon,

a little bit more sunshine

and strengthening south-westerly winds.

This is the next push of something a little less cold

ahead of the next weather system.

Now this could be quite interesting, this one.

Long way off, a lot of uncertainty.

As it gets towards us, there is a small chance

we could start to develop a south-easterly wind.

If we do, we're mixing cold air with it and as it

crosses across the country into Tuesday,

that could give a covering

of snow just about anywhere.

It's a long way off, a lot of uncertainty,

one to watch, pushing its way eastwards

and then we're back into brighter weather

by the end of the day, but, as I said,

there could be some travel problems around,

sunshine to finish with

and that takes us into a frosty night.

Now as we go into the rest

of next week, half term, of course,

still got the jet stream with us.

And it begins to make more of an undulating pattern

and as it does so, we see an area of low pressure develop in this

little trough here, this little dip in the jet stream,

as you can see, and that low pressure becomes slow-moving

pushing across the country.

It is likely to bring us not the best of weather for half-term

if you want to get out and about.

There will be some sunshine at times

but we're staying largely on the cold side,

still a few brief milder spells, but throughout it could be quite windy.

One to watch that, though, later next week, there's a small

chance that high-pressure develops over Scandinavia,

low pressure to the south and west of us

and that could bring some colder weather our way.