Standish (Greater Manchester) weather

Headline:

A very cold and frosty start to the new year.

Today:

A band of showery rain in the south will clear leaving a dry and bright New Year's morning. Northern areas remaining dry during the afternoon, but a few showers developing across the south. Feeling cold in the gusty wind. Maximum temperature 6 °C.

Tonight:

Further wintry showers moving into southern areas overnight, leading to a risk of ice and perhaps some slight accumulations of snow. Staying dry and clear elsewhere with a widespread frost. Minimum temperature -3 °C.

Friday:

A largely dry, sunny but cold day with just a few wintry showers moving into the far south at times. Another very frosty night following. Maximum temperature 4 °C.

Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

A cold but largely dry weekend with plenty of sunshine by day and frost by night. A few wintry showers possible, mainly in the south. Remaining similar on Monday.

Cold northerly winds dominant across the UK in the first week of January bring wintry showers (often of snow) to many coastlines (and areas just inland of these) that are exposed to onshore winds. Into the new week more coherent bands of precipitation and thicker cloud will attempt to move in from the west, with a risk of further snow on the leading edge of these turning to rain. Confidence is low in the rate of this return to a more mild Atlantic flow, with a risk of further artic airflows following fronts to resume wintry showers, especially across northern areas of the UK. Temperatures recovering to just below average for most, though further north more likely to return cold at times.

Whilst confidence in details is low, by the start of this period the transition back to westerly winds bringing Atlantic weather systems into the UK is expected to be complete, with temperatures most likely recovering to around or just below average. There is perhaps a weak signal for slowly evolving weather patterns to be more favoured than normal, such patterns increase the chances of frost and fog above normal by night.