Weather and climate change

Headline:

Rain spreading eastwards today. Turning drier and brighter this weekend.

Today:

A band of rain will gradually move eastwards across the UK today, although not reaching the southeast until evening. Largely dry, bright and warm ahead of the rain, with blustery and occasionally heavy showers following.

Tonight:

The rain continues to clear eastwards and weaken as it does so. Otherwise, showers continuing across northern areas, especially western Scotland and Northern Ireland, but becoming largely dry elsewhere.

Saturday:

Any lingering rain across the far southeast will clear during the morning, leaving many southern areas largely dry with sunny spells. Scattered showers elsewhere, although tending to ease later.

Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:

Largely dry with sunny spells on Sunday. An easterly wind developing early next week, bringing some showers to the east and feeling chilly here. Staying largely fine further west.

Updated: 04:00 (UTC+1) on Fri 17 Apr 2026

High pressure to the north of the UK will bring plenty of dry weather and sunny spells at first. A few scattered showers are possible in central and eastern areas. Parts of the east coast could be on the chilly side with low cloud and an onshore breeze, but further west it will feel quite warm, especially in sunnier areas. By the weekend, unsettled weather is signalled to return, but confidence in the details is low with a range of scenarios possible. One scenario is for a northerly wind bringing wintry showers to northern and eastern coasts, and some snow over Scottish mountains. If this does occur it will probably not last more than a few days, before high pressure attempts to return towards the end of the month.

Updated: 13:00 (UTC+1) on Thu 16 Apr 2026

Changeable weather is likely through the period. In broad terms higher pressure is more likely to the north, with lower pressure to the south. Across Scotland and northern half of England this would mean drier and more settled weather. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland, Wales and the southern half of England perhaps seeing a greater chance of rain or showers at times, but plenty of scope for fair weather in between. Temperatures will probably be close to or slightly above average overall, perhaps becoming more widely warm at times.

Updated: 14:00 (UTC+1) on Thu 16 Apr 2026