Headline:

Patchy rain this morning, drier this afternoon.

Today:

This morning will be cloudy with some patchy rain. This afternoon will become dry with the chance of some bright spells across Edinburgh, Lothian and eastern Borders. Becoming very mild in any sunshine in the east. Maximum temperature 12 °C.

Tonight:

This evening will be dry with clear periods. Then the rest of the night will remain dry with variable amounts of cloud. Strong southerly winds developing along the Solway coast. Minimum temperature 7 °C.

Thursday:

The morning will be dry, some hazy sunshine in the east. Rain will gradually spread east across all parts through the afternoon and evening. Mild across the east. Maximum temperature 13 °C.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

A cold start with some frost on Friday, then a dry and sunny day, Dry and bright on Saturday, clouding over later. Cloudy with a chance of rain on Sunday.

A broad northwest-southeast split in the weather looks the most likely scenario as we move into the second week of March. High pressure centred over continental Europe should maintain enough of an influence across southern and eastern UK to allow for a fair bit of dry and at times bright weather, whilst the majority of rain-bearing weather systems affect the northwest of the UK. Some strong winds are likely at times in the northwest. Temperatures look to be mostly near to a little above average. Towards the end of this period, there is chance that unsettled conditions in the northwest may become rather more widespread.

A more widely unsettled spell of weather is possible through the middle part of March, with periods of rain and strong winds affecting much of the UK. Whilst confidence in the details is low, there is the potential for weather patterns to become slower-moving towards late March, with unsettled weather become more confined to parts of the south, whilst 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, though at present, there is no strong sign for any really cold weather to develop.