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Wednesday starts wet in the west of the UK but elsewhere it is dry and frosty. Through the day a band of rain and strong winds spreads eastwards. There will be gales for a time and in the north snow is likely with accumulations over the hills. Brighter skies return to the west during the second half of the but wintry showers affect the north west.

Temperatures generally range from 3C (37F) in the north to 6C (42F) in the south but it will be milder in the south west. See the rainfall and precipitation type radar for the latest view.

Tonight the wet weather clears eastwards leaving dry conditions for most, but wintry showers continue in the north west. Northern areas have a frost.

Tomorrow the west has showers and in the north west they will be wintry. Elsewhere it is expected to be mostly dry with sunny spells.

Friday brings further wintry showers to the north west and during the second half of the day there could be more persistent outbreaks of rain or snow. The rest of the country remains dry and bright. 

Increasing chance of cold easterly?

On Saturday a band of patchy rain pushes southeastwards and weakens. Sunday should be mostly dry in the southern half of the country but outbreaks of rain affect the north. It remains chilly in the north but in the south it will be milder. 

During the first half of week high pressure builds northwards across the UK. That brings the likelihood of nighttime frosts and chilly days but the air source won't be cold. By the second half of the week uncertainty increases. There are increasing signs of a long fetch easterly flow pulling bitterly cold air across continental Europe and towards the UK. That weather pattern is often called the "Beast from the East". However some computer model runs keep the cold air to the southeast of the UK and others quickly bring back a much milder southwesterly flow.

GFS 00z, surface pressure and 500hPa heights, 00 GMT, Sat 24th Feb

Impact of the SSW

The increasing influence of high pressure and the possibility of cold blocks of air pushing across Europe during the next couple of weeks could be a result of the Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) event that recently took place. That increases the risk of cold weather in the UK during the rest of February and the first half of March. However it is not assured because high pressure blocks could align in a way that leaves the UK under a mild south or southwesterly air mass.

Check the latest snow forecast charts:

Meteo France Arpege

DWD ICON

NCEP GFS

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Rain and precipitation type radar

Meteo France Arpege forecast charts

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16 day GEFS ensembles at a glance

Unsettled weather and variable temperatures are favoured. Towards the end of the month the chance of drier but cold periods increases. View latest GEFS.