Mercury to rise by weekend

SPRING looks like it is finally going to arrive in North Wales with temperatures expected to soar.

High pressure will become anchored over central-eastern Europe, while a broad trough will extend over western Europe, pumping a warm plume of air northwards towards the UK.

Forecaster Katie Greening, of The Weather Channel, said: “Temperatures will be about 5C to 7C above the seasonal average in a southeasterly airflow.”

She added: “Rain and cloud will dampen temperature anomalies over the British Isles, western France and northern Iberia but it will still be 3C to 5C above the seasonal norm.”

The Met Office predicted there would be changeable but mild conditions today (Wednesday) before it turns drier and brighter on Thursday.

Showers and winds of around 45mph are expected to strike North Wales on Friday, but it will still be warm at around 13C.

But long-range forecasts indicate that the warmer than average temperatures won’t last for too long.

The Met Office said: “the most likely scenario is for largely dry and warm conditions in the southeast and showers or longer spells of rain in the north and west through the weekend.

“There may be a tendency for this scenario to reverse early into next week with a bias for more settled conditions further north.”