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Friday starts with murky conditions in the south and across much of the north there are outbreaks of rain. Through the day the rain pushes westwards and drier conditions follow from the east. There will be a lot of cloud cover but this afternoon the chance of sunny spells in southern and central regions increases.

Arpege 00z, forecast cloud cover, 17:00 BST Fri 13th April

Temperatures range from about 6C (43F) in overcast areas to 12C (54F) in the south. See the rainfall and precipitation type radar for the latest view.

Tonight patchy rain and drizzle gradually fades away in the north. Elsewhere it will be mostly dry.

Mixed but warmer weekend

Tomorrow warm sunny spells are expected but there is a risk of scattered showers in southern and central regions. The north east probably remains overcast and damp.

GFS 00z, forecast temperatures, 16:00 BST Sat 14th April

During Sunday outbreaks of showery rain spread eastwards across the UK. The rain could be heavy at times in the north and west but in central and south eastern regions it is likely to be patchier.

High pressure builds next week

Computer models continue to show a dry and warm spell of weather next week. High pressure is expected to build over continental Europe and block the eastwards flow of Atlantic weather fronts. That allows very warm air to push northwards from southern Europe towards the UK. 

The GFS 00z chart below is for 16:00 BST, Thursday 19th April. It shows temperatures above 21C (70F) in much of the UK and as high as 25C (77F) in parts of the south.

GFS 00z, forecast 850hPa temperatures and surface pressure, 16:00 BST Wed 18th April

Although most computer models agree about the transition to warm and settled weather early next week there is more uncertainty beyond that. The fine and summery conditions may last into the weekend but a breakdown is possible.

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16 day GEFS ensembles at a glance

Warmer and drier conditions develop early next week. After April 19th temperatures begin to trend downwards and the chance of changeable weather returning increases. View latest GEFS.