Alt (Greater Manchester) weather

Headline:

Wet and very windy today with severe gales in places.

Today:

A very windy day with severe gales in places. Showery rain through this morning turning heavier and more persistent from the northwest during the course of the afternoon. Generally mild, but turning colder in Cumbria later. Maximum temperature 13 °C.

Tonight:

Very wet and windy this evening with clearer skies arriving overnight. Turning much colder with patchy frost forming later and a few wintry showers. Winds easing briefly, then strengthening later. Minimum temperature 1 °C.

Friday:

Friday will bring a much colder day. There will be a few bright spells, but with plenty of showers, these perhaps wintry and falling as snow on hills. Blustery winds. Maximum temperature 8 °C.

Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

A frosty start for some on Saturday, then bright spells and well scattered showers. Changeable on Sunday and Monday with occasional rain. Gradually turning somewhat milder, though windy at times.

Mostly changeable through this period, with Atlantic frontal systems passing close to or across the UK at times. These will bring spells of rain and showers, most frequent and heavy in the west or northwest, and perhaps accompanied by strong winds. However, there should also be some drier interludes under transient ridges of high pressure, with longer dry periods most likely in the south and east, though even here some wet weather is possible at times. Temperatures will be near average for the period as a whole, but with some shorter-duration colder interludes at times when frost and hill snow will be possible.

Blocked, or slowly evolving, weather patterns are favoured for late March into early April, with high pressure probably building to the north or northeast of the UK. Whilst confidence is low in how this will influence the weather across the UK, this tends to lead to a more prolonged period of a certain weather type, be it settled or unsettled. In any case, a reduction in Atlantic-dominated weather patterns is likely, although some wet weather remains possible at times, perhaps more especially in the south and east whilst northwestern areas tend to be drier than average. Temperatures will probably be close to average for the period as a whole, but there is an increased chance of some colder conditions developing for a time with a risk of frost.