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Cold and dry for most

[Updated 07:30 04/01/2017]

Wednesday begins dry in most of the UK but thicker cloud is bringing a few drops of rain in places. It isn't as cold as recent mornings with temperatures generally a few degrees above freezing. 

Through the day it remains mostly dry and sunny spells develop. Near eastern coastal counties scattered wintry showers are likely and in the north east they could be heavy enough to give a covering of snow over higher ground.

It will be cold in the north and east but in the south west temperatures won't be far off the January average. See the rainfall and precipitation type radar for the latest view.

Tonight a widespread and sharp frost develops. Temperatures could tumble to -5C (23F) in the south and -8C (18F) in the north.

Tomorrow starts off bright and very cold. During the day cloud builds from the north and by the evening rain reaches the north west. The wet and windy weather spreads southwards on Friday but southern counties probably remain dry until the evening. 

The weekend looks mixed but quite mild. On Saturday patchy rain in the south clears but in the west further wet weather is likely. Sunday starts with showery rain but this should clear to leave drier conditions.

Next week after a mild start a west to northwesterly flow is expected to develop. The details are uncertain but colder Arctic air may push southwards across the UK. Buzz looks ahead to mid January.

Ensembles at a glance

The 16 day GEFS ensemble shows cold conditions early but temperatures then recover. During the second week a mild start is shown before it turns colder and more changeable with an increasing risk of snow, particularly in the north.