Weather and climate change

Headline:

Rain moving east overnight, clear spells following later

This Evening and Tonight:

Rain, heavy at times, moving east but potentially falling briefly as snow, mostly over the hills of northern England and Scotland. Clear spells following from the west with a patchy frost in places.

Thursday:

A mix of sunshine and showers across northern areas. Further south, cloud and rain, heavy at times, will gradually spread north, with winds strengthening later across the southeast.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

Wind and rain clearing to the northeast on Friday with sunshine and showers following. Showers likely Saturday, but drier Sunday. Temperatures around average for most with overnight fog in places.

Updated: 16:00 (UTC) on Wed 14 Jan 2026

Throughout this period, the UK will see a battle between Atlantic weather systems attempting to arrive from the west while high pressure and colder conditions attempt to exert some influence from the east. Initially, milder Atlantic air is expected to dominate. This should maintain changeable conditions with showers or longer spells of rain for most. The wettest weather in western parts of the country, drier in the east. Temperatures overall likely to be around average. Later in the period, there is an increased chance that conditions will turn colder. This aspect of the forecast is still somewhat uncertain but the potential transition to colder weather also increases the chance of snow across parts of the country.

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

Initially, slowly evolving weather patterns are most likely in the vicinity of the UK, with low pressure typically to the west or southwest and high pressure to the northeast. This configuration brings an increased chance of cold conditions affecting parts of the UK, and the associated risk of wintry hazards at times. Deeper into February, and whilst confidence is naturally rather low, there may be a transition to more widely unsettled conditions and perhaps a corresponding recovery in temperature back closer to average.

Updated: 15:00 (UTC) on Tue 13 Jan 2026