Metcheck.com UK Weather News

Temporary Break

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:20:53 GMT

The shocking pictures and reports coming out of Cumbria this morning show the devastating effects of yesterday's severe rainfall event in northwest England, and unconfirmed figures now suggest that around 314mm (12.5 inches) of rain fell in 24 hours in Seathwaite - which if confirmed would be a new record for the British Isles. The flooding that has occurred really is on an extraordinary scale with bridges washed away, hundreds of properties flooded and utility services disrupted. With much of the rain that fell still to filter through the river systems, further extensive flooding is expected today. Flooding has also affected parts of southwest Scotland and Wales, and there are flood warnings out for many areas. If you are worried about the flood risk for your location, please call the Environment Agency on 0845 988 1188 where they will be able to assist. The rain has finally moved away from the northwest and is now clearing southeast England, and for many areas it is a drier and brighter day with some sunny spells. However, showers are affecting the north and west, and some of these are likely to be heavy at times. The worrying news is that more rain is on the way for tomorrow as the next Atlantic weather system moves in. After a dry and clear evening with fog patches developing, wind and rain will arrive in the southwest of Britain and Ireland later tonight. This rain and coastal gales will then spread further north and east during tomorrow, with further heavy falls for western areas. Another 50mm (2 inches) of rain is likely again across the flood stricken areas of the northwest before the rain moves away by Saturday evening and this will not help matters at all. Looking further ahead, and there is no sign of a let up from the relentless wind and rain with Atlantic weather systems continuing to batter Britain and Ireland, and thus the flooding worries look like continuing for some time yet.

Record Breaker

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:23:32 GMT

Our worst fears have been realised today across northwest England with relentless rainfall bringing severe and widespread flooding, and unfortunately the flooding situation is going to get worse over the next 24 hours. Early indications are that today has been the wettest day EVER recorded in Britain and Ireland with well over 250mm falling in some spots. More heavy rain is set to fall overnight before it finally moves away by tomorrow morning. However, the huge volume of water will then have to feed through the river systems and thus the flood risk will remain for a long time to come. If you are worried, please refer to the Environment Agency's website (or SEPA if you are in Scotland) - the links can be found in our severe weather warning. A drier day is in store for tomorrow across the northwest, but we are afraid to report that further heavy rain is in store in the coming days and this will add to the problems.

More Wind And Rain To Come

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:34:38 GMT

The very unsettled theme to our weather continues this week with plenty more wind and rain to come, especially across north-western Britain and Ireland. The south and east will fare better, with drier conditions for much of the rest of the week, although it will be windy here too. Tuesday won't actually be a bad day for many areas, with a fair amount of sunshine around, particularly for the south and east of Britain. There will be some showers around, most of these focused towards the north and west where they will merge into longer spells of rain at times. By the early hours of Wednesday heavy and persistent rain is expected to sweep in across Ireland and into northwest England, and it is this band of rain that is expected to hang around across much of northwest Britain and Ireland for the rest of the week. Some very high rainfall totals look possible, and we have an Advanced Weather Warning out - please click the banner above for more details on this. The upshot of all this weather activity is that it will remain mild or very mild in all areas for the foreseeable future, and the odds are certainly in favour of this mild and unsettled trend continuing through to the end of the month...

Better Today

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:40:04 GMT

Yesterday's storm made the headlines across southern Britain with many coastal areas seeing gusts of wind reaching almost 80mph, whilst the peak gust came from The Needles on the Isle of Wight, when a 100mph gust was recorded. In addition to the wind, there was plenty of rain around too, with many areas seeing between 1 and 2 inches of rainfall. Thankfully it will be a lot calmer today, but its only a brief respite before the next band of wind and rain moves across the country on Monday. So a mixture of sunny spells and showers for most today, the heaviest of the showers are likely this morning - especially across the southeast and East Anglia - but as the day wears on they will tend to become lighter and more scattered. A dry start to tonight will give way to more cloud and rain arriving in southern Britain and Ireland, and by dawn on Monday this band of rain will be across much of central and southern England, along with Wales and Ireland. During the day the rain will continue to move north/north-eastwards across the rest of the country, with sunny spells and showers following into the south. The winds will also pick up again, but won't be as strong as yesterday's, although coastal gales are likely. Looking further ahead, and the unsettled theme stays with us, with more strong winds, showers or longer spells of rain throughout the coming week, but it will be on the mild side for mid November.

Squally South

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:11:21 GMT

It has been a pretty wet and windy night across much of Britain and Ireland with a band of rain crossing all parts and gales gusting up to 70mph in the southwest as the storm system we have been talking about moved closer. However, the main action is now taking place across the southwest of England as severe south/south-westerly gales and an occlusion associated with this storm system move through. This is the main focus of our attention today, as this area of squally rain and stormy winds move across much of central and southern England. The winds have eased a little from the overnight period across many areas, but will begin to strengthen again across the south this morning. A gale or severe south-westerly gale will batter many southern counties, and gusts in excess of 70mph are expected close to Channel coasts. Even inland gusts of over 60mph are likely for a brief time as the occlusion rattles through. In addition to the wind, heavy showery bursts of rain are expected, with the risk of hail, thunder and even the odd tornado cannot be ruled out. All this combined could bring some damage to trees and buildings, and sea conditions will be very rough indeed. The good news is that things will gradually begin to calm down from the west this afternoon as the severe gales and showers move east. The winds will slowly ease, and the showers will become fewer in number, and for some areas the day will finish on a bright and breezy note. Meanwhile if you are across northern Britain and Ireland this morning you are probably wondering what all the fuss is about! Winds are much lighter here, due to the fact that the area of low pressure bringing the wild weather further south will be tracking across these northern areas. Heavy showers or longer spells of rain are likely here though for much of the day. Tonight sees those winds continuing to ease down, with showers becoming confined to southern and western coasts, although here they are likely to be heavy and thundery at times. Sunday is then looking much better with lighter winds and sunny spells for many parts, although further showers are likely around windward coasts.

Storm Update

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:14:52 GMT

A special update to keep you updated on recent developments as the storm system heading towards the country gathers strength. Heavy rain, with embedded thunderstorms, has moved in across southwest England, Wales, the Midlands and the Republic of Ireland over the last few hours. This rain will continue to move north and east tonight, with most areas then seeing clearer conditions with squally showers. The winds will then become the main feature as they strengthen with gale or severe gale south/south-westerlies battering the south. Already recent gusts have been close to 70mph across the southwest of England, and later tonight could see damaging gusts of 80mph close to the south coast. These very strong winds will then affect other southern and south-eastern parts of England during tomorrow, with inland areas even likely to see gusts of up to 65mph at times. With squally showers of hail and thunder, there is the potential for some damaging weather. Our Severe Weather Warning has just been updated and we will continue to monitor developments closely and keep you informed.

Changes Loom

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:39:17 GMT

After the rather quiet conditions of recent days, the change to a very unsettled regime begins today as winds begin to pick up, and rain moves into the southwest later on. To start with its a chilly and quiet beginning to Wednesday with a fair amount of mist, fog and low cloud around, as well as some frost in places too. There are some showers around too, mainly near to the south coast of England, but most parts are mainly dry. Many areas will remain rather cloudy and misty today, especially in eastern areas, but some brighter spells will break through towards northern and western areas. It will remain rather cold where it remains gloomy, with temperatures just about making double figures towards the southwest. It is the southwest where we are looking for big changes to sweep our way later today and tonight. A band of rain will move into southwest England and Ireland by this afternoon, and tonight that rain will continue its north-eastwards journey. Clearer skies and a few showers will follow in from the southwest, with most of England, Wales and Ireland turning drier by dawn tomorrow. This sets the theme for the coming days, with bands of wind and rain set to sweep northeast across all parts, with clearer, showery conditions in between. Some of the rain will be heavy at times, with gales or severe gales developing, especially later on Friday when a deepening Atlantic low moves in - please see our Advanced Weather Warning for more details on this potentially stormy weather that's coming.

Best In West

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:43:11 GMT

It's a murky start to the day for much of England, Wales and Scotland with a lot of low cloud, mist and fog around, as well as outbreaks of rain across central and western areas. However, across Ireland it is a beautiful start with clear blue skies and sunshine for many, with just a few showers towards the west coast. Not an awful lot will change today with a slack pressure pattern and light winds over most parts. The frontal system bringing the cloudy and damp weather has become very slow moving over central areas as high pressure is building to the northeast of the UK, preventing the eastwards progress of the front. So a cold and rather dull day for most of England, Wales and Scotland, with further mainly light rain in places at times. Mist and fog patches that formed overnight will be slow to clear in parts too, adding to the gloomy feel. Its a different story altogether over Ireland where the front has cleared through, leaving mainly sunny conditions for today and it will feel very pleasant indeed with light winds and near normal temperatures. Many parts will see mist and fog forming tonight - and some frost for central and northern parts. There will be a fair amount of low cloud around too, so it will turn very murky indeed for many, and this means a slow start to the day on Wednesday. However, as the winds begin to pick up, it should end up a brighter day for many, although rain will move into the southwest during the day, heralding the change to wet and windy weather for the end of the week. Friday is a day we are watching very closely as there is the potential for some very wet and wild weather to sweep in from the southwest...

Fine For Most

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:43:20 GMT

A generally quiet day is in store for most places today with much of Britain sitting under a col - the area between two high pressure zones and two low pressure zones. This means light winds for many areas, but a reasonably fine day. One exception will be towards the west where rain and freshening winds are slowly edging across much of Ireland as the Atlantic low tries to take control. Cloud and outbreaks of rain will affect much of Ireland for most of the day, and may reach western Scotland as well as Cornwall by this evening. For the majority of Scotland, England and Wales though it will be a pretty good day once this morning's frost and fog has cleared away. There will be plenty of sunny spells around, but some fog and low cloud may well persist all day in one or two spots, keeping it pretty cold in those locations. Otherwise temperatures will generally be close to normal for the time of year. Once dusk falls though that fog - and patchy frost - will quickly re-form and become widespread across much of central and eastern Britain tonight. Northern and western areas will escape the worse tonight thanks to that band of cloud and rain slowly drifting eastwards. There is then little change for Tuesday with the mist and fog slowly lifting in the east, central areas will be cloudy with a little rain, whilst it will be brighter with a few showers to the west.

Showery Southwest

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:32:02 GMT

For much of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland it is a bright and cheerful Saturday morning with plenty of sunshine around after a chilly start. However, conditions are very different over parts of Ireland where some very heavy showers with hail and thunder have swept in from the west. The culprit is an area of low pressure that is tracking south-eastwards across Ireland this morning, before moving across parts of Wales and southwest England this afternoon. This will bring some very heavy showers into Wales and south-western England this afternoon, with localised downpours and some very gusty winds expected - please see our Severe Weather Warning for more details on this as there could be some very nasty conditions for a time... For most parts though it will be a bright day with plenty of sunny spells. There will be some showers, notably around windward coasts, but nothing like what is expected towards the southwest. Temperatures everywhere will be close to normal, and it won't feel too bad in the sunshine. Tonight will see a widespread frost forming in central and northern areas were skies clear, but around the coasts a few showers may keep going, and across parts of England and Wales the heavier showers in the southwest may become more widespread along southern counties, with warm sea temperatures helping trigger some hefty downpours with hail and thunder. Sunday looks like an improving day with the heavy showers in the south gradually becoming fewer in number and many areas will become dry by evening. This leads to a cold night with a widespread frost on Sunday night, but a bright start to Monday before more rain moves into western areas.

Rain In From The West

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:51:34 GMT

A chilly start greets many parts this morning as clearer skies overnight allowed temperatures to fall back down towards freezing, and just below across some northern areas. There's also some mist and fog patches around over central and eastern parts, but towards the west there is more cloud and rain moving in from off the Atlantic. This rain will gradually make its way eastwards across the country today and tonight, moving across Ireland this morning, Scotland, Wales and western England this afternoon, and then across remaining eastern areas by tonight. Some of the rain could be on the heavy side for a time as it moves through, along with some blustery winds too, so it won't feel particularly pleasant under that rain band. With those freshening winds, and after the cold start, temperatures will struggle to rise somewhat, probably just about making 10C in most parts. Brighter skies with a few showers will follow the rain into the west this afternoon, whilst ahead of the front the mist and fog will tend to lift into low cloud, before breaking up a little to allow some weak sunshine through for a time. The rain will gradually clear away from the east tonight, with clear spells and scattered showers over central and western parts. The clear slots will allow some frost and fog to form over Scotland again, but more breeze towards the south will prevent this. Further showers will affect many areas at times throughout the weekend, and as the winds go into the northeast, it will feel rather cool, especially under those showers.

Damp Squib?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:44:40 GMT

All eyes will be on the skies tonight as Guy Fawkes Night 2009 is upon us, and the question everyone is asking: What will the weather be like? Low pressure is still in charge of our weather today, and there are a number of showers around already this morning. These showers will continue for much of today, especially across western areas again where they will be heavy at times, and may merge into longer spells of rain too once more. Its not all doom and gloom though as there will be some good sunny spells around as well, especially towards central and eastern parts. Temperatures close to normal everywhere again today, even after a chilly start this morning with some frost in a few well sheltered inland spots. Therefore this evening there will be some showers around which may turn some firework parties into a bit of a damp squib for a time, but we are hopeful that many areas will see a fair amount of dry weather and under clearer skies it will quickly turn quite cold so wrap up warm, and remember, please stay safe! Looking ahead to tomorrow and the weekend, and the changeable theme continues. More rain moves into western areas on Friday, which will then cross all areas by Friday night, clearing out of the way by Saturday morning. This then leaves us in a showery set-up for the weekend, and it will turn a little cooler as the winds turn into the northeast by Sunday...

Further Showers

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:15:26 GMT

The showery theme continues today thanks to low pressure still sitting close to northwest Scotland. Moderate westerly winds are blowing some heavy showers into western areas, and these will continue throughout today. For many central and eastern areas it is a dry and chilly start to the day with a touch of ground frost in rural areas, but this means there will be a fair amount of sunshine around. Much of the day will turn out dry with sunny spells in these parts, with just a few scattered showers about. Most of the showers will be towards Ireland, western Scotland and the southwest of England where they will be heavy at times with a risk of thunder, and they may merge into longer spells of rain too. Temperatures will end up close to normal everywhere, but it will feel colder in the wind, the strongest of which will be towards the southwest. Its a similar story tonight, with showers around windward coasts, whilst sheltered areas see skies clearing and temperatures falling. This may allow some mist or fog patches to form across northern areas, along with a touch of frost too. Low pressure will slowly be filling over northern Britain tomorrow so we can expect further sunshine and showers, with most of the showers towards the north and west, but not exclusively so. So for the bonfires tomorrow evening, there will be a few showers to watch out for, but hopefully many areas will be dry and cool with the winds easing too.

Rain Or Showers

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:50:42 GMT

Low pressure centred close to northwest Scotland is the dominant feature of our weather today, and means showers or longer spells of rain will affect many areas from time to time. Already this morning has got off to a damp start in many parts with a band of showery rain crossing the country. There are some heavier bursts around as well, so its not a great start to the day. This band of showery rain is being followed by a rash of showers into western areas, and this sets the tone for the day ahead with a mixture of sunshine and showers. Whilst many areas will see some showers, the heaviest and most persistent showers look like being towards the south coast of England. Here they could turn torrential at times, with the risk of hail, thunder and gusty winds, so its worth watching out for these. The showers will tend to die back towards windward coasts tonight, with clearer spells in eastern areas allowing for a chilly night to develop. Tomorrow sees the showery theme continuing, with the heaviest and most frequent showers towards northern and western areas, and this sort of picture continues through into Thursday as well, with temperatures throughout never too far from normal. Of course November 5th is fast approaching, and it looks like those firework parties on Thursday evening could be dodging the showers, with central and eastern areas most favoured for a dry evening. More on these prospects over the next couple of days...

Sunday Soaker

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:55:08 GMT

As promised, its a very wet start to the day across most of Britain and Ireland as a deepening low sweeps north-eastwards. Heavy rain and strengthening winds are making for a very unpleasant morning in many areas, and we have a Severe Weather Warning in force. The rain will continue to move northeast this morning, bringing some very heavy downpours in places along with some squally winds. Southerly winds could well touch gale force in places, with gusts of wind up to 65mph possible. Brighter conditions are now beginning to follow into the southwest, and these will spread to most of Ireland, England and Wales by this afternoon. However, the rain will hang around over Scotland for the rest of the day, with further heavy bursts likely bringing the risk of some localised flooding. With the brighter skies will come a colder westerly wind, generally moderate to fresh in strength, and these winds will blow in some showers towards the southwest this afternoon. It remains very wet and windy across Scotland and parts of northern England tonight, and with the saturated ground, the flood risk will be increasing. Further south it will be drier with some clear spells, but heavy showers are expected around southern and western coasts. Sunshine and a scattering of showers are expected tomorrow, with the rain across the north finally clearing away, but more cloud and rain will arrive in Ireland later in the day. The changeable theme continues over the coming week with showers or longer spells of rain for everyone, and it will be colder than recently as well.

Halloween Treat

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:07:33 GMT

A pretty decent day is in prospect for much of Britain and Ireland today, especially when compared to what is heading our way for tomorrow. Low pressure is the main driver of our weather at the moment, but for most of us today, we will be in-between weather systems. There is some residual cloud and patchy rain now clearing through East Anglia and southeast England, and then most places will see a dry day with sunny spells developing. There will be some showers feeding into the north and west of both Ireland and Scotland, and one or two of these may be on the heavy side as well. Temperatures generally still on the mild side, but not quite as mild as it has been, and with the sunshine it will feel very pleasant. This takes us into a generally fine evening for the trick 'n' treater's, although rain will quickly sweep into the southwest of England and Ireland as the next low begins to move in. Things go downhill quickly tonight as that next weather system gets closer, and this is the one that has been causing us some concern. There has been a lot of divergence from the forecast models over the behaviour of this system, but they finally seem to be coming to agreement now. It is expected to track north-eastwards across Wales, central and northern England, bringing heavy rain with it. By the end of the night, much of England, Wales and Ireland will be very wet, with the rain also moving into Scotland by tomorrow morning. Winds aren't expected to be too much of a feature, although coastal gales may affect the south for a time. Our Weather Watch has more details. The rain will continue to move northeast tomorrow, with brighter conditions and scattered heavy showers following into most of England, Wales and Ireland. For Scotland though it looks like being a thoroughly miserable day with the rain persisting. Winds will pick up in most places for a time as the low moves away, and it will start to feel colder as those winds veer westerly.

Unsettled Weekend

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:40:27 GMT

All eyes are on the weekend weather as there is the potential for some really quite nasty weather to sweep in off the Atlantic on Sunday as a deepening low moves across the country. Confidence is still rather low over the exact track this system will take, which in turn will affect where the heaviest rain and strongest winds occur. As things stand at the moment, the low looks set to deepen quickly as it approaches Britain and Ireland, with a possible north-eastwards track across southern Ireland and then across northern England. This would bring the heaviest rainfall across central parts of Britain, with the strongest winds to the south and east of the low. We are monitoring developments closely, and it is likely that an Advanced Weather Warning will be issued later today once expected developments become clearer. Back to today, and the first signs of the big change to unsettled conditions are already evident over Ireland and western Scotland with outbreaks of heavy rain moving in for much of the day. Some rain will also affect parts of Wales and western England, but for many central and eastern areas it will be a dry day with a few sunny spells breaking through the cloud. It will still be mild or very mild everywhere, but freshening southerly winds will make it feel cooler. The rain continues to move eastwards tonight, tending to become lighter as it does so. Clearer conditions will follow into the west with a few showers, whilst eastern parts will probably remain dry until tomorrow morning. The rain will then slowly clear the southeast on Saturday to leave sunny spells and scattered showers, but the main attention by then will be focused on developments to the southwest...

Caught In The Middle

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:42:23 GMT

We're now into the final week of October, and it looks set to be the mildest week of the month for many areas as very mild south-westerly winds set in. The reason for this will be thanks to high pressure to the east and low pressure to the west, leaving us caught in the middle. Today is set to be rather quiet across Britain and Ireland with lighter winds than over the weekend. Many parts will be dry with some sunny spells, but there will be a fair amount of cloud drifting around. A few light showers may break out in one or two places, but the greatest risk of rain comes across southwest England and Ireland as a weak weather system brings some light rain at times. This system is going to help drag up the very mild air from a long way south over the coming days as it moves northwards tonight and tomorrow. It will bring some quite heavy rain with it for a time across western and northern areas, along with brisk southerly winds. However, drier and brighter conditions will follow in from the south - reaching most parts by Wednesday - and in any sunshine (which many be limited by a lot of cloud) temperatures will easily make the high teens during the rest of the week.

Wind Of Change

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:45:04 GMT

An increasing southerly breeze across the country today will indicate the end of the quiet spell of weather as high pressure slips away to the east, allowing an Atlantic low pressure to take over this week. The low is a deep feature out over the Atlantic, but it is slow moving, and as high pressure builds over Scandinavia over the next few days, it doesn't look like the low will take over completely. Indeed, it's associated weather fronts may stall across the country - with some eastern areas managing to stay mainly dry for much of the upcoming week. For many it is a milder start to the day than what we have seen over the weekend, with a fair amount of cloud around. The thickest of the cloud is towards the north and west, and this is where we are likely to find some patchy rain - especially across parts of Ireland and Scotland. The best of any brightness today will be towards southern and eastern areas, but even here the odd patch of rain cannot be ruled out. The freshening southerly winds will herald the arrival of some heavy and persistent rainfall across Ireland by tonight, and this will only slowly drift eastwards. Many other areas will be dry and cloudy tonight, and with the breeze picking up everywhere, it will be a much milder night. All eyes will then be on this band of rain over the next couple of days, and how much eastwards progress it will actually make. It looks like moving into western areas of England, Wales and Scotland during Tuesday, and perhaps into central areas by Wednesday, with brighter, showery conditions following into the west. Meanwhile, eastern areas may well remain mostly fair, if on the windy side.

High Losing Grip

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:56:32 GMT

Pressure is now falling across much of the country as the high that has brought the generally settled conditions of recent days loses its grip over Britain and Ireland. You can probably guess the end result - yes, a return to wet and windy weather during the upcoming week! This morning has dawned fine and chilly across many areas, with a touch of frost in places too. However, more cloud across Scotland and Ireland is bringing a little rain to these areas as a weather front moves in from the northwest. This cloud and rain will move into northern England and parts of Wales during today, with brighter conditions following into the northwest. Meanwhile, the fine start for central and southern areas will lead to a reasonable day with sunny spells, although there will be some large areas of cloud floating around. Temperatures will recover to near normal values as well, so not feeling too bad in the light winds. The cloud and rain across central and northern areas will tend to move back northwards into Scotland again overnight, whilst southern Britain stays dry with clear spells, but probably not quite as cold tonight as last night was. The first real sign of a change comes tomorrow as freshening southerly winds develop in the west. Some mainly light rain is likely across Scotland and Ireland, with England and Wales seeing the drier and brighter conditions. The wind and rain really get going across Ireland on Monday night, with all parts seeing a windy day on Tuesday with heavy rain in the west slowly edging eastwards. It may well be Tuesday night or Wednesday before the rain reaches eastern Britain though, whilst showers will follow the rain-band. Plenty happening this week, so please don't forget to keep your fellow Metchecker's updated with your weather reports and pictures!

All Quiet

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:49:12 GMT

We may be in mid-Autumn, a time when gales and heavy rain can sweep the country, but this year it is the exact opposite thanks to a large area of high pressure sitting over the country. The good news is that this high is going nowhere fast, the bad news is that it won't be wall to wall sunshine and warm temperatures. There is one exception to the totally dry story, and that is the far north and northwest of Scotland, where Atlantic weather fronts are trying to push the high away...without much success. They are bringing a far amount of cloud, and some patchy rain at times, and this will continue from time to time over the next day or two. Winds are more noticeable here too, with a moderate south-westerly, but it will keep it on the mild side. Elsewhere, its a chilly start to the day in places, and there is some patchy mist and fog around, along with a touch of ground frost in parts too. This should lift to leave a day of sunny spells, although many areas will probably become rather cloudy by this afternoon, whilst temperatures will be close to normal. Despite pressure remaining high over the next few days, rather more in the way of cloud is expected to be drifting around, and there may also be some patchy light rain in places. However, there will still be some sunshine around, but that brings the mist and ground frost risk at night under the clearer slots.

Settling Down Again

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:47:13 GMT

Another quiet autumnal spell of weather is on the cards over the coming days as a large area of high pressure settles itself over Britain and Ireland. There will be some day to day variations, but the main theme will be for a dry week with variable amounts of cloud and sunshine. Pressure is rising strongly across all parts this morning giving a good indication of the developing high pressure cell. There is a northerly breeze blowing down the eastern coast of England, and this is blowing in the odd shower from off the North Sea, but for most parts it is a dry and chilly start to the new working week with a touch of ground frost in some northern regions. For many it will turn into a fine day with sunny spells, and temperatures ending up near normal for mid-October. However, cloud will move into northwest Scotland later on, and this will thicken up enough to bring some rain too. This mainly patchy rain will continue into tonight across the north and northwest of Scotland, but clearer skies elsewhere will lead to some mist and fog forming, along with a touch of ground frost in rural areas. This means a bright and chilly start for central and southern parts on Tuesday, but that cloud in the north will be slipping southwards, although much of the rain will have died out by then, leaving some patchy drizzle. For much of the rest of the week it will then be a case of chasing cloud amounts, with a fair amount of cloud expected to get caught up under the high. Any clear slots will allow some sunshine by day, but give chilly nights with a mist and fog risk.

Weekend Improvements

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 08:53:00 GMT

The changeable conditions of yesterday are now clearing away eastwards, and although low pressure will never be too far away this weekend, the weather for the majority of Britain and Ireland will be set fair. It's a slow start to the day in places with patches of mist, fog and low cloud around, but these should lift and clear away during the morning allowing sunny spells to develop. It won't be completely dry though, as showers will affect northwest Scotland, and one or two light showers may break out elsewhere. With lighter winds today, it will feel a bit warmer in the sunshine, with temperatures close to normal. This means that it looks like a fine evening for the crucial World Cup qualifier between Ireland and Italy at Croke Park. A few showers will continue in the north tonight, but many areas will be dry with clear spells. The area of rain that we were expecting to track across central and southern areas now looks like skirting the far southwest of England and Ireland only, and will mostly be on the light side. This rain will continue at times across the far southwest on Sunday, but on the whole it will be another reasonable day for many parts with sunny spells. A few showers will affect northern and eastern areas with a moderate north-westerly breeze blowing, making it feel a little cooler. Looking ahead into next week, and high pressure begins to take control bringing plenty of settled weather. There may be a few showers down eastern coasts on Monday thanks to a northerly breeze, and some rain may affect northern Scotland on Tuesday, but for most there will be plenty of dry weather with sunny spells once any overnight mist and fog clears.

Squally Saturday

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:36:26 GMT

Autumn's here! As we have been promising for a few days now, a very windy day is in store across much of Britain and Ireland today thanks to a deep area of low pressure passing close to northern Scotland. Winds are already gusting in excess of 60MPH across western Scotland and northern parts of Northern Ireland, and as we go through the day we can expect these strong winds to transfer to central/southern Scotland and northern England. Gusts of around 70MPH are likely in places, bringing the risk of some damage and disruption - please see our Weather Watch for more details. It will be windy for most other areas too, with gusts of up to 50MPH likely almost anywhere for a time - the far southwest probably escaping with less windy conditions. There was some heavy rain overnight across Scotland, but most of this has now been replaced by a mixture of sunny spells and squally showers. Meanwhile, a band of cloud and increasingly light rain will move southeast across Ireland, England and Wales today with mostly cloudy conditions ahead of this. Temperatures mostly near to normal, but with those strong winds it will feel colder. Any remaining cloud and rain will clear the south tonight, and apart from showers in the northwest, many areas will then become dry and clear. The gales or severe gales in the north will slowly ease, but it will remain very windy. Tomorrow is looking more promising, with many areas seeing a dry day and some sunny spells. A few showers will be blown into the northwest on those brisk winds, but the tendency will be for those winds to become much lighter as we go through the day. This then takes us into a cold night on Sunday night with some frost forming in places...

Got them!

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:33:07 GMT

After much chasing around the server room with big sticks hitting anything that moves and shouting "there it goes!" it looks like we've finally caught the lil' monsters. Metcheck data is back - thank you for your patience. Now... go check those weather forecasts!