An increasingly unsettled and stormy spell of weather is on the way and it starts today as a frontal system pushes eastwards across many regions. However, we closely monitoring developments to the southwest where Storm Eowyn has formed and is intensifying rapidly.

For this morning and although many regions are starting on a dry and chilly note, a band of rain and freshening winds has already arrived across much of Ireland and Northern Ireland and this will push steadily eastwards today. The rain will be locally quite heavy and accompanied by gusty winds towards the south and west, but will clear quite swiftly with bright conditions following on from the west to many areas this afternoon along with a few showers. However, it will remain cloudy and wet for much of Scotland with the rain turning to snow over higher ground although it will be this evening before it reaches the far northeast and the Northern Isles. Temperatures today will range from a rather chilly 4°C to 6°C in the north and 7°C to 9°C in the south but feeling cold in the rain and wind.

That rain and hill snow slowly clears the northeast this evening but by then attention turns to the southwest as heavy rain and strengthening winds sweep in, heralding the arrival of Storm Eowyn. Conditions will deteriorate quickly overnight as rain and gales extend north and east, the rain turning to snow in the north with significant accumulations for higher parts of central and northern Scotland.

The main feature will be those winds though as severe gale to storm force winds develop over Ireland later tonight with gusts in exposed coastal areas towards the west and southwest potentially exceeding 90-100 MPH during the early hours of Friday. These stormy conditions will then extend across Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland during tomorrow morning bringing the risk of widespread travel disruption and damage as winds in these areas potentially gust up to 80-90 MPH before they slowly ease from the southwest during the afternoon.

METEOROLOGIST : BARBER

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