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Cold and frosty weekend

[Updated 07:40 20/01/2017]

Friday begins frosty in southern and central regions. In the north it is less cold with temperatures generally above freezing point.

Through the day sunny spells develop widely in the southern half of the UK. The north has some bright spells too but there will be quite a lot of cloud around.

Temperatures range from 5C (41F) to 7C (45F) with the chilliest conditions in the south. See the rainfall and precipitation type radar for the latest view.

Tonight a frost rapidly returns to much of the UK. In the south temperatures could tumble to -7C (19F) locally.

Tomorrow it's a similar picture but a few light wintry showers could develop in the south and west. After sunset frost quickly sets in and Sunday starts off bitterly cold, especially in the south. A mostly fine day follows but there is the chance of a few light showers or snow flurries spreading northwards.

The latest guidance for next week suggests a dry and cold start. During the middle of the week a transition back to more unsettled weather is forecast to begin as high pressure declines. This will allow disturbances to move in from the Atlantic bringing cloud and rain, but their eastwards progression could be slow. As the feed of continental air is cut off it is set to become milder.

Buzz takes a look at the prospects.

Ensembles at a glance

The 16 day GEFS ensemble shows rather cold weather in the short term. Next week it slowly turns milder and more unsettled with rain eventually reaching all regions.