Drier conditions ahead as high pressure rolls in
AFTER a week that ended with the chilly night skies lit up by first the Northern Lights as far south as Cheshire and Lincolnshire, and then bonfires to recall Guy Fawkes, the daytime weather in the week ahead is also going to turn brighter. Temperatures will climb back to seasonal averages and, especially in southern England, should edge above them.
Yesterday’s weather front, that brought heavy rain and 60-70mph winds to Scotland and Northern Ireland, weakened considerably as it headed southwards overnight. Today will start blustery everywhere, with gusts still strong on the northern coast of Scotland in particular. But the wind direction is a mild westerly compared to those colder blasts from the Arctic last week, making this the drier of day of the weekend, with plenty of cloud and some sunshine.
Across southern England and south Wales, from Plymouth through Cardiff to London, the mercury should rise to a decent 55F (13C). In the central band of the UK, anywhere from Belfast to Norwich, it will be a notch down at 54F (12C), and Glasgow and Edinburgh will manage 52F (11C). As the day wears on those strong winds will ease a little and, with high pressure dominating, it is likely to be another cold night.
Rain will be plentiful in Scotland and Northern Ireland as the working week gets under way, but elsewhere it will remain dry and mild, with the best of the sunshine in the south-eastern corner of England potentially pushing temperatures up to 59F (15C).
With the high pressure drawing in a south-westerly air current from Tuesday, most of England and Wales will hang on to these largely benign conditions. In Scotland, the presence of low pressure to the north will see unsettled conditions.