Weather and climate change

Headline:

Rather cloudy, with showers possible on Thursday

This Evening and Tonight:

Low cloud and fog forming across many eastern and central areas overnight, with some patchy rain possible where the cloud is thickest. Elsewhere, a few clear spells and some patchy frost are likely, although occasional showers may affect the southwest.

Thursday:

Rather cloudy and breezy with some rain and hill snow lingering in the northeast, whilst showers give way to more persistent rain towards the southwest. Some brighter breaks developing elsewhere.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

Friday looks unsettled with brisk winds. Rather cloudy skies giving outbreaks of rain for many. Brighter and becoming less breezy for most over the weekend, albeit with scattered showers still.

Updated: 16:00 (UTC) on Wed 28 Jan 2026

This period will start off in a similar vein to current conditions. This means largely unsettled weather is expected, with showers or longer spells of rain for many places and occasionally rather windy. Some hill snow is likely in the north too. Temperatures will be close to average for most, but perhaps rather cold in the far northeast. A subtle change is now looking likely during the second half of this period, as the winds look like backing off to more of an easterly or northeasterly direction. It is likely to remain largely unsettled, especially towards the south, but it is likely to become colder with an increasing risk of snow, more particularly in the north. An often brisk wind will accentuate the colder feel too.

Updated: 14:00 (UTC) on Wed 28 Jan 2026

Something of a north-south split seems quite likely at first, with low pressure to the south and high pressure to the north, before a potential change back to more of a southwest-northeast split, similar to the current setup. With the jet stream likely further south than normal, the wettest conditions are more likely towards the south. Northwestern parts of the UK are most likely to be drier than normal. Whilst incursions of wet, windy and milder weather are favoured at times in the south and later the west, colder conditions further north will bring an increased risk of wintry hazards, especially where any precipitation from the southwest interacts with the cold air. The colder conditions may affect all parts at times, more especially early in this period.

Updated: 15:00 (UTC) on Wed 28 Jan 2026