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Sunday begins damp in the south but northern regions are drier. This morning bright spells develop in the north and the drizzle clears from the south. A dry afternoon is in prospect for most and there will be some sunshine but in the far north west of the UK thicker cloud brings the likelihood of some rain.

Maximum temperatures range from 5C (41F) in Scotland to 10C (50F) in the south. See the rainfall and precipitation type radar for the latest view.

Tonight patchy rain affects the north and west but elsewhere it remains mostly dry. In the east clear spells allow a frost to form in places.

Tomorrow there could be a few spots of rain around but it stays predominantly dry with variable amounts of cloud. It's a similar picture for most of the UK on Tuesday too.

Mid-week change

Late on Tuesday and through Wednesday an area of low pressure deepens in the Atlantic and moves eastwards. There has been uncertainty about the path it will take but the latest data has it further north. That means all areas have a period of wet and windy weather but back edge snow is less likely because the colder air from the north will take longer to push down across the UK.

The forecast chart below is for 21:00 GMT on Wednesday 6th December. It shows heavy rain in much of the UK although the worst conditions haven't yet reached the east. The tightly packed isobars indicate that it will be very windy with gusts of close to 60mph possible.

GFS 00z, 03 December, precipitation 21:00GMT Wed 6th December

Cold for the rest of the week

By Thursday the wet weather should have cleared to leave cold and bright conditions. Wintry showers affect all regions but most of them are expected in the north and around coastal counties. The cold weather continues through the weekend and into the early part of next week but it probably becomes mostly dry.

A colder winter on the way?

The TWO winter forecast has been issued and suggests a colder and drier than average season. This year it has been particularly difficult to reach a conclusion. Buzz looks at the medium term. TWO's fourth winter discussion update has been issued. The winter forecast covering December, January and February will be issued this week.

Christmas countdown

TWO's annual Christmas Countdown continues.

16 day GEFS ensembles at a glance

After a mild start much colder conditions return by December 8th. Towards the middle of the month a range of outcomes are on offer but most show temperature gradually recovering towards the seasonal norm. View latest GEFS.