Wide Firth (Orkney Islands) weather

Headline:

Largely cloudy with showers on Sunday.

Today:

It will be a mostly cloudy day with some showers. Showers mainly over Shetland with drier and brighter spells for Orkney. Moderate to fresh northwesterly winds. Maximum temperature 8 °C.

Tonight:

A cloudy evening with showers, perhaps merging to longer spells of rain. Overnight, showers clearing south of Shetland, becoming confined to Orkney. Moderate or fresh northwesterly winds easing. Minimum temperature 6 °C.

Monday:

Showers clearing to the south of Orkney in the morning to leave a dry day with sunny spells for all areas. Light to moderate southeasterly winds. Maximum temperature 9 °C.

Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:

High pressure dominates bringing a dry and settled few days with light winds. Mostly cloudy but with some bright or sunny intervals breaking through at times.

High pressure is likely to be centred close to or across the UK through much of this period. So many places will be largely dry with clear or sunny periods. Colder air will try to push into the country from the north toward next weekend, but will probably only make limited progress into the northeast for a brief time, where it could bring a short lived showery interlude, some of these wintry. Winds will be mostly light, but briefly stronger in the northeast as that colder air tries to come south. Temperatures will probably be near normal or slightly above for many, but with a risk of colder conditions affecting the north next weekend.

Slowly evolving weather patterns are likely through the first half of May. Within this, high pressure is likely to be located somewhere to the north or northwest and low pressure closer to southern areas. The orientation of and proximity to the UK of each of these features will be key to regional weather on a day-to-day basis. However, on balance, northern and some western areas are likely be drier, with southern and possibly some eastern parts seeing more in the way of rain or showers. Overall, temperatures probably close to or a little above average, though scope for some cold nights with late season frost, especially in the north.