Astley Bridge (Greater Manchester) weather

Headline:

Cloudy, with outbreaks of rain slowly easing.

Today:

A cloudy, cold and wet start to the day. Outbreaks of rain continuing for many through the morning, with some hill snow in the north. Drier for the afternoon, but remaining cloudy. Feeling colder than Thursday. Maximum temperature 9 °C.

Tonight:

It will remain mostly dry though this evening and overnight, though often on the cloudy side. Turning chilly where any cloud breaks occur, with perhaps a few fog patches. Minimum temperature 4 °C.

Saturday:

A cloudy morning, with patchy rain over the hills. A few brighter breaks are possible during the afternoon, though further patchy rain may also develop. Feeling a little milder. Maximum temperature 11 °C.

Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:

The cloudy theme will continue. It will be mostly dry, but some showery rain is possible at times. Feeling mild where the cloud breaks and the sun comes out.

The first part of this period will continue to see the UK located at the interface between high pressure across Europe and low pressure over the North Atlantic. As such, western areas will likely see spells of rain at times, along with stronger winds, whereas eastern parts should see more in the way of drier interludes, though even here, some rain is possible from time to time. Towards the middle of March, there is a signal for unsettled conditions to perhaps become more widespread, with all parts seeing a higher chance of rain and stronger winds. Throughout, temperatures should overall be a little above average for most areas.

The start of this period could see unsettled conditions fairly widely across the UK, with spells of rain and strong winds affecting many areas at times, although western areas likely remain wettest. Then, whilst confidence in the details is low, there is the potential for weather patterns to become slower-moving by late March, with unsettled weather becoming more confined to parts of the south, as areas towards the north and northwest turn drier. Given this pattern, the chance of wintry hazards will increase compared to earlier in March. Overall, temperatures will probably end up near to average, but there is an increasing chance of below average temperatures towards the end of March, but at present there is no strong sign for any really cold weather to develop.