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Sunday is off to a wet start in Northern Ireland, Wales and much of southern and central England. On its eastern edge the precipitation is turning to snow in places. Through the day it moves northeastwards and in most places turns back to rain,  however there is a risk of disruptive falls of snow in the north east of Britain, especially over high ground. The forecast chart below shows where the rain, sleet and snow is expected to be at 15:00 GMT today.

Meteo France Arpege 00z, 21st Jan, precipitation, 15:00 GMT Sun 21st Jan

The wet weather marks the boundary between cold and mild air. North eastern areas have a very cold afternoon with temperatures hovering around 1C (34F) but in the south west a mild 13C (55F) could be reached. See the rainfall and precipitation type radar for the latest view.

Tonight the wet weather gradually moves away from the north east and clear spells may lead to a light frost. Cloudier skies return to the south and outbreaks of rain could push into areas south of London.

Tomorrow should be mostly dry. Sunny spells develop at times and it will be milder than recently.

Changeable outlook

Tuesday will be windy and showery outbreaks of rain spread eastwards. In the north west they become heavy and persistent for a time. 

On Wednesday wet and windy weather pushes eastwards. Gales are expected and temperatures will be close to the seasonal average.

Thursday and Friday look chilly and showery. In the north showers could fall as sleet or snow.

By next weekend high pressure starts to build across the southern half of the UK. That brings an increasing likelihood of drier periods to southern counties but in the north a westerly flow continues to bring more changeable weather in from the Atlantic.

There is uncertainty about where the high pressure will be positioned during the following week. Some computer models show colder conditions developing as it moves northwards.

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Forecast tools

Check the latest satellite images, computer model charts and rain radar:

EUMETSAT high resolution satellite images [NEW]

Rain and precipitation type radar

Meteo France Arpege forecast charts

Global Forecast System (GFS) forecast charts

16 day GEFS ensembles at a glance

Changeable conditions are shown during the coming week. By late January a trend towards drier weather is shown with mild and cold scenarios both possible. View latest GEFS.