The weather will remain unsettled for much of the UK, with cold air bringing the chance of wintry hazards in the north.
The UK continues to sit between the influence of high pressure to the northeast, and low pressure trying to move in from the southwest. This is leading to a continuation of unsettled weather, and a mix of conditions across different parts of the UK.
Friday will see persistent rain continuing in eastern Scotland. Yellow warnings have been issued through the weekend here as after a three day spell of very wet weather across this region, a further spell of persistent and at times heavy rain is expected before easing during Saturday night. Many places are likely to see a further 20-30 mm of rain, and a few spots could see 50 mm. With colder air moving in from the east, at locations above 400-500 metres a lot of this will fall as snow, with rain confined to areas of ground below this level.
It will be windy too in the northeast of the UK, with a strong southeasterly wind blowing onto North Sea coasts.
Further south, an area of low pressure is bringing very wet and windy weather across the southwest of England and southern Wales. Gusts could reach up to 60mph in coastal locations, with rainfall accumulations of up to 30-40mm falling on already saturated ground. Yellow warnings have been issued for these regions too.
Met Office Chief Forecaster, Andy Page, said: “Unsettled weather continues for many across the UK with persistent and heavy rain in parts of Scotland with snow over higher ground, and strong winds and heavy rain in southwestern England and southern Wales. Elsewhere while it’ll be a breezy weekend there will be brighter and drier spells with occasional showers passing through fairly quickly.”
By Monday we’ll see a brief quieter start for many, with some patches of fog to start the week. Later in the day a new frontal system will approach from the west bringing rain into Northern Ireland and western Britain. As this front meets the colder air that is being pushed in from the east in the northern half of the UK, snow is possible on the leading edge over higher ground, in places like the Pennines and Scottish mountains.
While at this range there is still some uncertainty, it is possible another deep area of low pressure could approach the southwest of the UK through Tuesday morning. This could bring another day of very wet and windy conditions to areas that have suffered from stormy conditions through January. Other scenarios would see the low track further south, reducing the risk of impactful weather.
Deputy Chief Forecaster, Steve Kocher, said: “With the jet stream directing areas of low pressure towards the south of the UK, there is a possibility of another very unsettled spell of weather as we move through Tuesday and Wednesday. While there is still uncertainty at this lead time, there is the chance of very wet and windy weather in the southwest again, with rain possibly turning to snow as it moves further north and interacts with colder air being dragged in from the east. The forecast will certainly develop over the coming days, so it is important to keep up to date and be aware of any severe weather warnings that are issued.”
