The end of 2017 is upon us and the year looks set to end on a milder note for many parts of Britain and Ireland but it will remain unsettled with Atlantic low pressure systems sweeping in from the west bringing bouts of mild, wet and potentially very windy weather at times with clearer, colder and more showery conditions in-between. This changeable theme looks like continuing into the start of 2018 with no sign of high pressure taking control for the foreseeable future.
The weekend starts off with quite a contrast across the country. For northern parts of Scotland it is another very cold and frosty start but there will be some sunny spells around this morning before cloud thickens from the south with rain and snow pushing north-eastwards during the course of the day. That band of rain and snow is associated with a frontal system that has pushed in from the southwest across much of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland overnight and as this clears northwards so many areas will become drier and brighter for a time today with just a few scattered showers breaking out. However, for the far south and southwest of the UK thicker cloud will bring occasional outbreaks of rain with it today, this rain tending to push further north later this afternoon. It will become mild in the south with temperatures in the range of 9°C to 13°C despite the brisk winds, and although it will be colder further north, it won't be as cold as it has been over the last couple of days.
Clearing skies will bring some frost across parts of Scotland tonight, but for the most part it will be a mild night with freshening winds bringing outbreaks of rain in from the southwest across many areas, some of this rain locally on the heavy side. This takes us into an unsettled New Year's Eve with rain clearing to a mixture of sunny spells and scattered, blustery showers, the showers sometimes merging into longer spells of rain whilst it will remain windy.
METEOROLOGIST: BARBER
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