Chelmsford (Essex) weather

Headline:

Sunny becoming cloudy with showers.

Today:

Dry and bright through the morning, then becoming mostly cloudy during the afternoon with showers moving across the area. Winds gradually ease but remain blustery along the coast. Maximum temperature 16 °C.

Tonight:

Cloudy with showers clearing eastwards during the evening followed by clearing skies. The wind becomes light and variable. As temperatures fall some ground frost patches could form. Minimum temperature 1 °C.

Sunday:

Largely dry with a bright or sunny start to Sunday. Turning increasingly cloudy during the afternoon with the wind increasing and the chance of some coastal showers overnight. Maximum temperature 14 °C.

Outlook for Monday to Wednesday:

Cloudier on Monday and Tuesday with showers spreading inland from coastal areas. Clearing skies with long sunny spells on Wednesday. Feeling cooler, especially along windward coastal districts.

High pressure is likely to remain centred to the north or northwest of the UK for much of this period amid slowly evolving weather patterns. This means overall, a fair amount of dry weather is expected though there will likely be some exceptions. Firstly, Atlantic frontal zones may graze over the southwest near the start of this period, bringing some rain and breezy conditions. The latter part of April may also see cold air sweep south across much or all of the UK for a time, bringing potential for wintry showers in the north and east and more widespread overnight frost. Any cold spell looks fairly likely to be short-lived before somewhat milder conditions become re-established.

Slowly evolving weather patterns are likely to continue throughout the first half of May. Within this, high pressure is more likely than not to be located somewhere to the north or northwest of the country, and low pressure located 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 would likely be drier, with southern and possibly some eastern parts seeing more in the way of rain or showers at times. Overall, temperatures probably close to or a little above average, though scope for some chilly nights with late season frost, especially in the north.