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Wednesday begins with scattered showers in the north but elsewhere it is dry. This morning sunny spells develop but showers become more widespread in the west. During the afternoon they extend into eastern areas and in the heavier ones there could be hail and thunder.

Temperatures range from 7C (45F) in the far north west to 13C (55F) in the south east. See the rain radar for the latest view.

KNMI HIRLAM 00z, forecast precipitation, 16:00 BST Wed 25th April

Tonight showers continue in the north west but in other areas they fade away. Clear spells allow temperatures to drop quickly and in sheltered parts of the north there could be a touch of frost.

Tomorrow showers pep up again, especially in the northern half of the UK. In the south they should be more scattered than today and there will be more emphasis on dry and sunny spells.

Friday and the weekend

During Thursday night a deep area of low pressure is expected approach from the southwest and bring wet weather to the south. Through Friday heavy rain pushes northwards across much of the UK and in southern coastal counties there is a risk of gales. Scotland may remain brighter and showery.

On Saturday a mix of sunshine and showers is likely. In the south it should feel pleasantly warm in sunny spells but the north will be chilly and over the Scottish mountains there is a risk of snow.

By Sunday forecast confidence is low but another low pressure system centred over France probably moves northwards towards the UK. There is the potential for very wet weather to spread into southern counties during Sunday and continue into Monday. The north probably has a mostly dry day.

The GFS chart below for Sunday afternoon shows heavy rain pushing into southern counties.

GFS 00z, forecast pressure and precipitation, 16:00 BST Sun 29th April

The rest of next week is expected to bring quite unsettled weather to all regions. Later on the chance of drier and warmer spells may increase in the south.

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16 day GEFS ensembles at a glance

Upper air temperatures are shown to be several degrees below the average for much of the 16 day period. Wet spells affect all regions but progressively become more likely in the south. View latest GEFS.