Brighter mood as sun heads north over the equator

As we pass the landmark of the vernal equinox – when the sun is directly above the equator and days and nights are of equal length – it is time to start looking forward to warmer weather. For the next six months the sun is over the northern hemisphere, so the prospects for all those garden-only gatherings are getting better.

We have been going through a period of settled, largely benign weather and this is set to stretch well into the week. The cause is high pressure to the west of Ireland. With the air flow around it going in a clockwise direction, the prevailing winds are pulling in cloud and cool air from the north, but not so much as to prevent Scotland on Thursday from having its warmest day of the year so far at 19C (66.2F) in Edinburgh.

There is very little change today, with plenty of patchy cloud around. When it breaks, the sun will feel warm and uplifting. The best chance of catching some sun could be around the Lake District and north west England. Temperatures will be highest along the north eastern coast, with 13C (55F) anywhere from Aberdeen, through Edinburgh and on to Hull. In the south of England, expect 12C (54F), with Birmingham and Belfast a notch or two lower at 11C (52F).

It remains steady into the working week, with the whole country for once largely under the same weather regime of cloud with occasional sunny spells and spring-like temperatures.

But by midweek, the high pressure will slip away to the south, opening the door for the return of weather fronts from the Atlantic, meaning rain and wind for northern and western areas. In the south and east, though, it could remain settled a little longer.