BBC monthly outlook
Monday 16 April—Sunday 22 April
Turning much warmer and sunnier for most
Many areas of the UK will experience their first proper spell of warm springtime weather this week. Warm south to south-easterly winds will develop for a time between an area of high pressure over Scandinavia and low pressure over the eastern Atlantic.
On Monday, there will be fairly widespread spells of sunshine with a rather warm southerly breeze. However, western Scotland together with Northern Ireland will be cloudier at times and windy with occasional rain.
On Tuesday, much of England and Wales is likely to be dry, rather warm and often sunny but Scotland and Northern Ireland will stay somewhat cloudier and breezier with the chance of further rain.
However, by Wednesday, all parts of the UK should become drier and mostly sunny and less breezy. Temperatures will be widely above the seasonal average; reaching the low 20s Celsius quite widely over England and Wales, perhaps locally with temperatures into the mid-20s Celsius.
Thursday and Friday are also likely to be generally warm and bright but winds are likely to become more easterly, bringing the risk of cooler and misty conditions to North Sea coasts then.
By the weekend 21st/22nd, there is some uncertainty over the details of the forecast. However, it looks as though the high pressure area over Scandinavia may weaken allowing one or two fronts to approach from the west. Therefore, some rain seems likely at times for north-western areas of the UK but with very little rain probably making its way to the south and east of the UK; probably often dry and rather warm there.
Monday 23 April—Wednesday 9 May
A little rain for a while. More settled in to May
The last full week of April is likely to see another change in the weather for most with cooler winds from a north or north-west predominating. Temperatures are favoured to fall nearer to the seasonal norm through the week and may even end up a little below average by the end of the week. One or two night frosts cannot be ruled out, particularly for rural areas. Occasionally, rain or showers are likely to make their way southwards across the UK. The best of any longer drier and brighter spells are likely to be over southern areas. Occasionally, it could be quite breezy but no particularly strong winds appear likely. As we enter early May, models indicate that high pressure should not be too far away from the UK, perhaps often positioned somewhere to the west or north-west of the country. Therefore, a lot of dry and quiet weather is now anticipated through this period with only occasional showers or rain. There should be a lack of windy days too. Temperatures are likely to be not too far from the seasonal average; it should feel pleasant in any lengthier periods of sunshine. The main uncertainty through this period is how far south-eastwards high pressure will exert its influence. Highest confidence for often dry, settled conditions is for north-western parts of the UK. Confidence is lower for southern areas.
Next Update
We will take another look at May to see whether the latest guidance still shows signs of some dry, quiet weather.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/outlook