The wet and cold start to the year looks set to continue
The wet and cold start to the year looks set to continue
Parts of the UK could see another spell of very wet weather as this week gets underway. However, the Met Office said temperatures are expected to stay slightly above average overall, continuing the milder trend that many enjoyed over the weekend.
But the Met Office has warned that the “relatively settled conditions” will be short‑lived. It said: “Through the early part of next week, another Atlantic weather system will push in from the southwest.” This means cloud and rain are forecast to arrive early on Monday. The rain is expected to spread further northeast into Tuesday, February 24.
Guidance continued: “South-westerly winds will continue to dominate at this stage, keeping temperatures on the milder side early next week. Western areas will once again see the heaviest and most persistent rainfall, with the south and east benefiting from the best of any drier spells.”
Temperatures are forecast to drop lower as the week progresses. The change is associated with the Azores High, and across parts of the North Atlantic near the USA. At the same time, high pressure will strengthen across Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.
As a result, north-westerly winds are likely to develop from Thursday onwards, becoming more prominent into Friday and the weekend. The Met Office said: “This change will bring colder‑than‑average temperatures across much of the UK, with showers more widely distributed and potentially lingering for longer.”
Looking ahead to the end of February, the Met Office said: “Minimum temperatures will also fall, suggesting the continued risk of frost, most likely in northern areas, but possible further south as well.”
In its long range weather forecast from February 27 until March 8, it said: “Changeable with Atlantic frontal systems spreading across the UK followed by drier and brighter interludes. Rainfall will typically be heaviest in the northwest, with much less reaching sheltered eastern areas.
“Some snow is possible across high ground in the north. Winds will probably be strong at times, with a risk of gales. Temperatures are likely to be near to or slightly above average.”
The north west is expected to be hit with rain in March, the Met Office said: “Changeable conditions will probably dominate during this period, with Atlantic frontal systems spreading across the UK. These will bring spells of rain and perhaps strong winds, with the wettest conditions in the northwest.
“The southeast will likely be driest, perhaps with some long spells of dry weather developing for the south later. Temperatures are likely to be near to or slightly above normal overall.”
However, after months of wet and cold weather, spring is almost upon us. In the UK, meteorological spring always begins on March 1 and ends on May 31. This method divides the year into four fixed seasons, each lasting three months, making it easier to track weather patterns and compare statistics.
Astronomical spring starts on the vernal equinox, around March 20 in the Northern Hemisphere, when day and night are roughly equal in length. The Met Office said: “The exact dates can vary each year due to the Earth’s tilt and orbit around the Sun.”
