Headline:

Windy, with heavy rain spreading south later, clearing this evening.

Today:

Windy, with some drier and brighter intervals through the morning, but also outbreaks of rain, mainly in the west. Rain becoming widespread through this afternoon, with a band of very heavy rain and strong gusts clearing south. Further showers following. Maximum temperature 13 °C.

Tonight:

Winds easing a little, but staying brisk. Turning cold with clear spells and wintry showers, perhaps some snow over hills. Some icy and frost patches possible by dawn. Minimum temperature 0 °C.

Friday:

Often cloudy with a few brighter or sunny spells but also occasional showers. Any wintriness is likely to become restricted to highest hills. Feeling chilly, despite easing winds. Maximum temperature 9 °C.

Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

Fine Saturday, with brighter or sunny spells, light winds, and isolated showers. Rain spreading east Sunday, then colder again with showers following, wintry over hills. Breezy, but mostly dry Monday.

Signs are that much of the UK will see a period of more settled weather for part of this period at least. At first some wet and windy weather is likely across the northwest especially. However its likely to turn more settled from midweek onwards, and by the weekend most, if not all of the country should be predominantly dry. Its possible we could see some overnight frost and fog, but by day there should be spells of pleasant spring sunshine making it feel warm away from coasts exposed to a brisk easterly wind. How long the settled conditions last is less certain with some signals that showers / rain could return later in the period, perhaps the south most prone to this.

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.