Thursday will bring a brief window of quieter weather across much of the British Isles as a transient ridge of high pressure moves across the country. After a chilly start, many areas will enjoy a fine and bright morning but the respite will be short-lived with the next Atlantic frontal system already approaching from the west and bringing increasingly wet and windy weather later.

Thursday morning starts on a distinctly chilly note with temperatures well down into single figures and perhaps a touch of frost in a few sheltered northern spots. Any remaining showers towards eastern coasts will become confined to the extreme east leaving most places dry with some good spells of autumn sunshine and generally lighter winds. However, as we head through the afternoon cloud will steadily increase from the west with outbreaks of rain reaching Ireland, Northern Ireland and western Scotland, accompanied by strengthening southerly winds. Top temperatures will generally reach 10°C to 13°C across the north and west whilst highs of 13°C to 16°C are expected across England and Wales.

This evening and tonight sees the rain sweeping steadily eastwards across the rest of the country, becoming heavy and persistent in places with some quite strong and gusty winds developing. Friday then sees the rain continuing to move south-eastwards, with some heavy bursts possible across central and southern parts of England for a time, before brighter but increasingly blustery and showery conditions follow from the west. Temperatures will be slightly higher tomorrow thanks to a milder air mass moving through for a time, but cooler air will return from the northwest in time for the start of the weekend.

METEOROLOGIST : BARBER

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