Metcheck.com UK Weather News

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!

Gremlins

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:32:26 GMT

Indeed, Gremlins have got into the Weather Data and are giving us a merry old chase! So whilst the Techies hunt through our server room with nets, spray and BIG sticks we thought we would let all our faithful Metchecker's know we are on the case, we'll have your data back as soon as possible (we know what the withdrawal feels like!) and we're really sorry with cherries and whipped cream on top! We've been getting lots of feedback alerting us to the situation, (and we mean LOTS!) so if you don't get a response we're really sorry! If we wrote back to every bit of feedback we'd not sleep (and probably not have much of our fingers left afterwards either!) It's great that so many people like the site enough to try and find out what's going on and we really do appreciate that and your patience! We'll let you know as soon as we've caught the lil' monsters!

Gremlins...

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:14:24 GMT

Little Change

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:25:00 GMT

Not an awful lot to talk about with regards to the weather today thanks high pressure continuing to dominate the weather across Britain and Ireland. Its worth mentioning that the first air frost of the autumn was actually recorded in Northern Ireland on Thursday night as temperatures in Katesbridge fell down to -0.3C. Daytime temperatures recovered well yesterday after that chilly night however thanks to the sunshine, with many areas reaching normal or just above normal values. More of the same is in store for today, with a chilly and misty start giving way to another fine day with sunny spells for most parts. Once again, there will be more cloud across the far southeast thanks to a north-easterly breeze, as well across northern Scotland. Later today, the cloud in the north may bring a little light and patchy rain as a weak weather front edges in from the north. This front will continue to slip south tonight and tomorrow, and will bring cloudier skies and perhaps a little drizzle to most northern, central and eastern areas of Britain on Sunday. The best of the sunshine and temperatures will therefore become restricted to western areas.

Stormy NW: Hot SE

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:18:20 GMT

A huge variation in the weather across Britain and Ireland today as an Atlantic storm brings some very windy weather indeed to the northwest, whilst the warm air coming up from the southwest brings a hot day for the southeast! A very deep low is passing to the northwest of Scotland today, and brought the heavy rain overnight across Ireland and western Scotland, and will bring further rain this morning. This rain will then clear away southeast this afternoon, with brighter conditions following, but this is when the winds will really strengthen as severe south-westerly gales develop in the northwest. Gusts of up to 80MPH are likely in the far northwest, with these winds transferring to the Northern Isles later today and into tonight - more details can be found in our Severe Weather Warning. Meanwhile, the further south and east that you are, the better the weather will be today, and for East Anglia and southeast England, a cracking September day is in store. There will be some early cloud around, but this should soon break up and then much of the south-eastern quadrant will see warm sunny spells with temperatures touching 80F. Winds will pick up a bit here, but it won't be anywhere near as windy as it will be further north and west. That band of rain in the northwest will edge into northern and western parts of England and Wales this afternoon, but will weaken as it does so. The band of cloud and patchy light rain will then move across the rest of England overnight, with clearer skies following, and the winds slowly easing in the north. From tomorrow, high pressure then takes over, bringing a prolonged settled spell of weather to many areas - more on this in tomorrow's update!

Autumnal...Then Back Into Summer

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:04:17 GMT

Our good old weather has got itself somewhat in a muddle and over the next few days some places are going to see a change from distinctly autumnal conditions...back into summer! The return to summer will be a result of high pressure building over Britain and Ireland from midweek onwards, and will be a welcome change for many of you in the north and west who have suffered from the unsettled weather for many weeks now. Before that though, we have a couple of low pressure areas to clear away. The first one today has brought a wet morning across Ireland, and this area of rain will continue to move its way eastwards across central and northern areas of England - tending to become lighter as it does so. Meanwhile, to the south and to the north, its a drier and brighter picture with some sunny spells, and just a few scattered showers. The rain will continue to move away tonight, with many northern and western areas becoming drier and clearer, but many central, southern and eastern parts will be rather dull with patchy rain and drizzle, and it will turn misty in places too. This means a slow start on Monday, but the brighter skies across northern and western areas should reach most parts by the afternoon, and the day will turn out quite decent for the majority. Tuesday is then causing concern, as a very deep area of low pressure moves close to north-western Scotland. Whilst the far southeast may remain mostly dry, outbreaks of rain will affect many areas, and the winds will become a major feature in the northwest as severe south-westerly gales develop, bringing the risk of damaging gusts of up to 80MPH. More on this tomorrow, and in our Advanced Weather Warning. Beyond this conditions really settle down though with all parts becoming fine and pleasantly warm.

Sunshine Fading

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 09:06:47 GMT

Its a glorious start to the day across many central, southern and eastern parts of England with lots of sunshine to enjoy. However, this isn't going to last, as cloudy skies already over Scotland and Ireland will feed their way further south and east during the day. The cloudy conditions are in association with a weather front moving in from the west, and this front is bringing some rain with it - particularly across western Scotland where the rain is turning quite heavy at times. Not a lot will change in these northern and western parts during the day, with a few brighter spells breaking through in sheltered areas this afternoon. Meanwhile, the cloudy skies will spread their way to most other parts, with the best of any remaining sunshine reserved for the southeast of England. Temperatures will be close to normal in most areas, whilst winds will be lighter than recently. The cloud will hang around tonight with only limited clear spells, and some further mostly light rain is expected in the northwest. This will keep temperatures in double figures for many places so not as cool tonight. Sunday then sees some sunny spells developing in eastern areas, but the main focus will be on outbreaks of rain moving in across Ireland as the next system moves in from off the Atlantic. The changeable theme continues into the beginning of next week, before high pressure builds strongly over the UK, bringing a fine and settled spell of weather to all parts, and some quite warm weather too.

Sunny Saturday

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 10:06:09 GMT

A fine day is in store across most of Britain and Ireland thanks to a ridge of high pressure having built in across many areas. There will be a little more cloud towards the southwest and later across western areas of Ireland as a couple of weather systems try to make inroads, but many areas will remain dry apart from a little light rain in a few parts across the southwest. More persistent and heavier rain along with freshening south/south-westerly winds will reach Ireland later this afternoon as the next Atlantic weather system moves closer. It is this system that we are monitoring closely as it will become very slow moving over Ireland and western Scotland tonight and tomorrow, bringing heavy and prolonged rainfall - please see our Weather Warning's page for more details. Much of England and Wales will see another reasonable day on Sunday, although some rain will affect the southwest and northwest. The best of the sunshine on offer will be towards southeast England and East Anglia, and here it will turn very warm and humid again as temperatures soar towards the low 80's - much cooler towards the rain in the north and west however.

Best In South

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:07:01 GMT

A classic north-south split is on the cards for today as a ridge of high pressure brings a decent day to southern Britain, whilst low pressure and its associated weather fronts move into the northwest, bringing rain with them. This system will also draw in some pretty warm and muggy air in from the southwest, so for much of southern Britain and parts of south-eastern Ireland it will end up a very warm day with sunny spells helping temperatures to rise into the mid-twenties. Meanwhile, the rain towards the northwest will slowly sink south-eastwards into the rest of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England by the end of the day. The heaviest rain will be over western upslopes, with the rain rather lighter elsewhere. Tonight will see the rain band sinking further south, and it may intensify a bit again with some heavier outbreaks likely over parts of Ireland, Wales and western England for a time as a wave feature runs along the front. The rain will continue its way south tomorrow, probably longering across the south, with the sunnier conditions in the north making their way south, along with somewhat fresher conditions, and with just a few showers. This then means a generally fine day for Thursday with high pressure moving across the country, but further rain is likely at times across southern Britain, before a new low pressure moves in from the northwest at the end of the week.

Not As Bad

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:54:09 GMT

After yesterday's washout in some north-eastern areas of Britain, its not looking as bad today, although conditions will still be far from ideal for late July. Many central and northern areas of Scotland have seen a wet start to the day, and this rain will continue on and off for much of the day with some heavy bursts likely at times. There is still some rain around across northeast England this morning, but its mainly light in nature, whilst over in Ireland and across southwest England, a band of showery rain is moving in from the southwest. Elsewhere is starting mostly dry, but there is a lot of cloud around, and its feeling rather cool in the brisk west/north-westerly breeze - which is still quite gusty in eastern areas. As we go through the day, further showers will break out, especially across northern and southern England, Wales and parts of Ireland. Some of these could be quite heavy, even if they don't last too long. Temperatures will be close to or just below the seasonal norm, with that breeze making it feel cooler. So for the cricket and golf today at Lords and Turnberry respectively, expect rather cloudy and cool conditions, with the chance of showers, especially at Turnberry, and it will also be on the breezy side. Scattered showers will continue overnight in many areas, and this then takes us into a showery Sunday, with some of the showers turning heavy with a risk of hail and thunder once again. As you may expect, all these showery conditions are down to low pressure that's sitting close to northeast Scotland, and looking ahead to the coming week doesn't bring the prospect of much change. It will turn a bit warmer, but low pressure will always be close by to keep things very much on the unsettled side.