Halstead (Essex) weather

Headline:

Turning fresher with heavy, perhaps thundery showers.

Today:

A rather cloudy but mostly dry morning. Scattered showers developing through the afternoon, these may turn heavy with the risk of hail and thunder. Light westerly winds freshening as the showers move through. Maximum temperature 23 °C.

Tonight:

Some showers quickly moving away eastwards this evening. Turning drier and clearer overnight, though perhaps the odd shower returning from the west by dawn. A relatively cool night. Minimum temperature 9 °C.

Thursday:

Mostly dry and bright at first, but showers developing through the morning, becoming heavy and thundery for the afternoon. Showers easing again by the evening. Slightly cooler than Wednesday. Maximum temperature 22 °C.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

Temperatures staying below average into the weekend. Isolated showers continuing but becoming more settled again by Sunday with sunny spells throughout.

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. Most places are likely to see some rain or showers, particularly during the second half of next week, and these may be heavy with a risk of hail and thunder. 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, it looks like it will start rather unsettled. However, signals for the prevailing weather patterns affecting the UK soon become weak, with something close to the climatological norm becoming 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 or 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 a little above average overall. There is a chance that late season hot spells or heatwaves develop, especially in the south.