Easter Sunday falls on April 4th this year. The weather at this time of year can be very mixed and in early April it is often still too cold to sit outdoors for long. However, April 2020 was the UK's sunniest on record, with an average of 224.5 hours of sunshine. It was also notably warm with temperatures about 1.7C above the norm.
A White Easter for some?
Despite that, even late in the month wintry conditions are possible, a good example is the famous cold spell in April 1981.
Easter eggs amsterdam" by Rotemdan - Own work. Licensed under Attribution via Wikimedia Commons
The first half of the Easter period brings quiet weather. Cloud amounts vary but in areas where sunny spells develop it will feel pleasant. Conversely the nights will be coldest where skies remain clear.
A big change starts to take place through Easter Sunday. A band of cloud and rain pushes southwards across Scotland, but to the south it remains dry and some bright spells develop. Through the evening and night the rain continues to move southwards and it could turn to sleet or snow on its back edge.
On Bank Holiday Monday rain, sleet and snow clears from the south to leave a very cold and showery day. The showers fall as snow down to low levels. They are likely to be most frequent in the north and around coastal counties. A widespread frost returns overnight.
After a quiet and dry start a big change in the weather will take place. Through Easter Sunday much colder air begins to push southwards and in the north showers increasingly fall as sleet or snow.
By Bank Holiday Monday it is expected to be cold enough in all of the UK for showers to be wintry.
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