A real split in the weather across Britain and Ireland for the next few days as Atlantic frontal systems plague the north and west whilst high pressure building over mainland Europe brings fine and increasingly warm conditions towards the south and east of the country. All eyes are then on the remnants of what will be ex-Hurricane Ophelia as we go through the weekend and into early next week as she brings some potentially very wet and very windy conditions with her.
Back to this morning and Friday dawns wet and windy across many northern and western parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, northwest England and down into parts of Wales with outbreaks of heavy and persistent rain over west-facing hills and mountains. To the south and east it is a drier start to the day, albeit rather cloudy but it is a mild start with temperatures widely into the mid-teens. Changes today will be slow with the rain band slowly sinking a little further southeast, allowing brighter, more showery conditions to push south across Scotland and Northern Ireland whilst for parts of northwest England and Wales it will be a rather wet day. Meanwhile to the southeast it remains mostly dry with some bright or sunny spells breaking through and in the best of these temperatures will reach maximums of 18°C to 21°C despite the brisk breeze. It won't be as warm further north and west where it will also be windy with coastal gales.
The band of cloud and increasingly patchy rain across Wales and northern England becomes very slow-moving tonight. To the south it will be very mild but rather cloudy and dry whilst to the north it will be clearer and cooler. The cloud and rain or drizzle then drifts back northwards again tomorrow with warmer air feeding up from the south throughout the weekend as that northwest/southeast split remains in place.
METEOROLOGIST: BARBER
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