20/03/2018 Weather for the Week Ahead

Hello. On Monday we saw sunshine overhead

thawing quite a bit of the snow that fell over the weekend.

Tuesday is the start of astronomical spring

and for the rest of the week

the weather will actually

start to feel a bit more like it.

It's turning milder across most parts of the country.

A lot of the dry weather, but later on, rain in the west.

Dry at the moment because high pressure is in charge,

but notice how it shifts its position now into Tuesday.

So instead of easterly winds, we're getting winds

from a northerly direction across England and Wales.

Quite a bit of cloud to begin with, but that will break up.

Some sunny spells coming through.

Frosty to start with across Scotland and Northern Ireland,

but some of the sunniest weather throughout.

We'll see more cloud pushing into the Highlands

and Islands during the day and that's all linked

into the change of wind direction as our high pressure gradually shifts.

Temperatures up on what we've seen in recent days.

That shift in wind direction continues into Tuesday evening

and it's all down to what's happening in the Atlantic.

The jet stream's strengthening in the western Atlantic

and that's starting to shove things a bit further eastwards.

And as you can see from the yellow colours,

getting milder air closer and closer towards us.

By Wednesday, with high pressure to the south of us,

we're now dragging the air off the Atlantic.

But with it will come some Atlantic weather fronts.

They'll affect mainly Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland.

Nothing desperately heavy, but patchy rain and drizzle.

Sunny but frosty start across England and Wales.

Temperatures of -5 or -6 to begin with, lifting up to 7 to 9 degrees

with sunny spells and increasing cloud during the day.

But just note across Scotland and Northern Ireland,

10, 11, maybe 12 degrees across Aberdeenshire.

That run of Atlantic winds continues into Thursday

with high pressure to the south, low pressure to the north.

A ridge of high pressure for Thursday,

so for many it will be a fine day.

Could be a bit frosty across eastern areas to begin with,

but not quite as cold as we start the week.

Cloud increasing through the day, most places staying dry,

but Ireland and west Scotland later on,

rain will gradually work its way in and the breeze picks up.

But with some sunshine, Aberdeenshire, Angus,

down through eastern England, 12 or 13 Celsius likely.

As we go through into the end of the week, low pressure becomes dominant.

We'll see weak weather fronts spread across England and Wales.

They'll not amount to much across the south.

Some heavier bursts further north.

Then we start to see showers work their way in.

Some accompanied by rumbles of thunder, hail too.

But with sunshine in between, starting to feel

the effect of that strengthening March sunshine overhead.

Double figure temperatures mostly around where

they should be for the time of year.

For the weekend, that low pressure still with us.

It migrates a bit further north-eastwards

and allows the winds to go more north-westerly.

So there's a chance, as weather fronts

push across Scotland on Saturday,

some snow over the hills for the time being.

But a lot of dry and bright weather.

To take us into the weekend showers developing across the west.

Some heavy with hail and thunder

and maybe a bit of snow,

but that's limited to the tops of the hills.

Most places seeing double figure temperatures to take us

into the weekend. That low pressure still close by as we go into Sunday.

So sunshine and showers once again.

A brief ridge of high pressure as we go into the start of next week.

But next week looks like we'll see the split.

Low pressure to the north, high pressure to the south,

so we're still going to dominate with Atlantic winds coming in.

Always looks like, from the computer models,

that low pressure will be more dominant than the high.

So it's always going to be a case of rain more likely at times

with windy conditions.

They'll be some sunny days as the ridge of high pressure pushes in.

Maybe some frosty nights.

Mild overall, but there could be hints

as we approach Easter of things turning colder.

We'll keep you updated.