Leigh (Greater Manchester) weather

Headline:

Cloudy mornings followed by brighter afternoons.

Today:

Cloud lowering through the morning, turning it misty and murky around hills and coasts, with accompanying outbreaks of rain and drizzle. Brighter spells emerging in the afternoon but with the chance of showers, heavy and possibly thundery. Feeling humid. Maximum temperature 24 °C.

Tonight:

Scattered showers continuing overnight, the odd one of which may again be heavy and thundery. Clear spells developing in between with light winds. A warm and muggy night. Minimum temperature 16 °C.

Friday:

Clouding over first thing with occasional showers, locally heavy. This breaking to allow more sunny spells by the afternoon. Slight breeze along the coast but feeling warm in the sunshine. Maximum temperature 25 °C.

Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

Unsettled. Showers may be heavy and blustery at times, carrying the risk of thunder and hail. Warm and humid in brighter periods, but temperatures suppressed under any persistent rain.

Overall a rather more changeable pattern of weather through this period, compared to much of the summer thus far. The first couple of days will likely be dominated by low pressure leading to particularly unsettled weather, with heavy rain and/or thunderstorms in some areas. Thereafter, a general westerly regime looks to become established, with occasional weather systems moving in from the Atlantic. This means further rain or showers and breezy conditions at times, especially in the northwest. This will be interspersed with some drier, sunnier periods. Temperatures are expected to average out above normal and whilst brief hotter and humid days are possible. This broad pattern is likely to continue through to the end of July.

The rather changeable pattern will likely continue through early August with spells of rain or showers mixed in with some drier, brighter days. Towards mid-August, there are tentative signs that high pressure may become rather more dominant, which could bring more in the way dry, settled weather more widely. Temperatures will likely continue to be above average overall, with the possibility of very warm or hot spells developing later in the period, especially further south and east.