North West England weather

Headline:

A very windy weekend.

Today:

A widely windy day with gales, locally severe, around coasts and hills. A mild morning with outbreaks of rain, turning fresher later with blustery showers and sunny spells through the afternoon. Maximum temperature 11 °C.

Tonight:

Gales continuing throughout the night. These accompanied by clear spells and showers, falling as sleet and snow during the early hours. Chilly with rural frost and icy stretches possible. Minimum temperature 2 °C.

Sunday:

Another very windy day with severe gales in exposed areas, making it feel bitterly cold. Sunny spells and wintry showers to begin, these gradually fading later. Maximum temperature 7 °C.

Outlook for Monday to Wednesday:

Dry start on Monday with lighter winds, then rain arriving later. Much milder for Christmas Eve and Day, but largely grey and cloudy with drizzle possible over the hills.

Updated: 04:00 (UTC) on Sat 21 Dec 2024

Boxing Day weather will be characterised by mild, cloudy conditions for most, with bits of drizzle in places and perhaps some more persistent rain in northwest Scotland. This sets the scene for the next few days too, with an area of high pressure becoming established across much of the UK, probably centred over or just to the south of England. The highest chance of rain and strong winds will be in northwest Scotland, with many other areas predominantly dry but rather cloudy, although more settled conditions may well extend to the northwest at times too. Widely mild at first, perhaps exceptionally so in some places early on, but temperatures probably return to nearer normal by early January. Throughout, any clearer spells overnight may lead to localised frost and fog.

Updated: 14:00 (UTC) on Sat 21 Dec 2024

Confidence in this period is low, but overall slowly-evolving weather patterns are more favoured. Overall, there is a slightly reduced chance compared with normal of wet and windy spells, with instead a slightly greater potential for colder episodes during the first half of January. While drier than average conditions are likely for many areas, some precipitation is still expected, which could lead to wintry hazards at times. Temperatures are likely to be close to or a little above normal overall, but this could be made up of a mix of milder and colder interludes.

Updated: 15:00 (UTC) on Sat 21 Dec 2024