Irlam (Greater Manchester) weather

Headline:

A very cold start to 2026.

This Evening and Tonight:

Largely cloudy but dry this evening, before outbreaks of rain and some hill snow move southwards overnight. Winds also strengthening overnight limiting frost to upland areas, but enhancing the cold feel as we start New Year's Day. Minimum temperature 2 °C.

Thursday:

Showery rain clearing New Year's Day morning, with brighter spells following. Variable cloud in the afternoon with a few showers around Merseyside and Cheshire. Chilly in the gusty wind. Maximum temperature 6 °C.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

Prolonged periods of sunshine on Friday and throughout the weekend. Mostly dry, though scattered wintry showers possible in the south. Breezy and turning colder with severe frosts and ice overnight.

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.