Cold weather bites back, but not for long

Since last week’s cold weather, this week has seen a warming trend, with much milder conditions and a thaw of lying snow.

Temperatures have reached 10C somewhere in the UK every day this week, with yesterday seeing 13.5C at Leuchars in Fife.

The reason for this milder weather has been warm air moving in off the Atlantic Ocean, albeit with quite a bit of cloud and some rain – mainly in the west.

This weekend, however, will see a marked change in how the weather feels, as the wind switches to a north westerly direction. A short, sharp burst of Arctic air will sink southwards across the UK, with a return to colder conditions.

Snow showers will affect north western parts of the UK this weekend, with accumulating snow for northern Scotland along with the hills of Northern Ireland, Wales and north west England.

For northern Scotland a gale force wind combined with heavy snow showers will result in blizzard conditions at times, with the Met Office issuing a yellow warning to highlight this.

However, for much of the UK, once a band of rain and gusty winds eases away during Saturday, it will be largely dry with plenty of sunshine and excellent visibility in the crisp Arctic air mass.

Frosty nights will also make a return, with temperatures widely falling to -2C, with some places dropping as low as -6C, bringing a risk of ice – especially where showers have fallen during the daytime.

The colder weather won’t hang around for long this time, because next week a south westerly wind will once again blow from the Azores, bringing a return to milder weather.

Whilst there will be spells of wind and rain, in the drier and brighter interludes, the temperature could reach 13-16C in some places midweek.

It’ll be interesting to see how nature responds to next week’s milder weather. If you notice any plants or animals springing into life, then let me know. Even better, if you manage to capture it on camera, then please send your pictures. The easiest way is via Twitter – @liamdutton