Washington (Sunderland) weather

Headline:

Cloudy to start with sunny spells later. Breezy.

Today:

Mostly dry to start with variable cloud. Dry throughout the afternoon with bright of sunny spells with any showers confined to the fair west. Breezy, especially over the hills. Maximum temperature 21 °C.

Tonight:

Becoming cloudier through this evening with a band of rain pushing through overnight, followed by showers. Breezy and feeling less mild. Minimum temperature 11 °C.

Wednesday:

A day of sunny or bright spells and scattered showers. These possibly turning heavy at times with the risk of hail and thunder. Breezy, especially around any heavy downpours. Maximum temperature 21 °C.

Outlook for Thursday to Saturday:

Stayed mixed during Thursday and Friday with slow-moving heavy downpours with the chance of thunder. More settled through Saturday with sunny spells and the odd shower. Temperatures around average.

This period is likely to start largely dry and settled across the UK, as a ridge of high pressure sets in. A few showers are likely in the far north and possibly the far southeast though. Conditions look like turning increasingly unsettled through next week, as low pressure gradually becomes dominant, squeezing the ridge off to the northeast and southwest. Most places are likely to see some rain or showers, which may be heavy with a risk of thunder at times. It may become breezy if not windy at times too. Temperatures are likely to be near or a little below normal overall, with some chilly nights at first, but brief warm, humid spells are possible at times, especially in the south.

As we move into the start of meteorological autumn, signals for the prevailing weather patterns affecting the UK are weak, thus something close to the climatological norm is most likely. This means a broad northwest-southeast split in conditions, with higher pressure becoming centred close to the south of the UK and lower pressure towards the north and northwest. The north and northwest will probably see the lion's share of the rain and any strong winds, whilst the south and southeast will probably see the driest and sunniest weather. Temperatures are likely to be above average overall. There is a chance that late season hot spells or heatwaves develop, especially in the south.