Cooling down this weekend after a burst of spring warmth

During the past ten days, spring has finally sprung across the UK, as the jet stream returned to where it should be at this time of year.

As result, warmer air has bathed our shores, with temperatures close to or even a little above average at times, encouraging plants and animals to come to life.

Yesterday, the temperature reached 23C at St James Park in London, making it the warmest day of the year so far.

However, after almost a fortnight of spring warmth, this weekend will see tropical maritime air replaced by colder polar maritime air.

Whilst it won’t be a return to winter proper, there will definitely be a chill in the air – especially at night and in the mornings.

In fact, in the coming few nights, almost anywhere in the UK could see a touch of frost – worth bearing in mind if you’re a gardener.

Saturday

It’ll be a chilly start to the day for many places, with a touch of frost in places – especially in rural areas.

Whilst the polar maritime air will bring some sunshine and excellent visibility, there’ll also be some heavy showers across central and eastern parts of England.

Elsewhere, showers will be lighter, with Scotland and Northern Ireland likely to stay dry for much of the day.

Sunday

After a chilly start again on Sunday, there’ll be a definite divide in the weather across the UK.

England and Wales will see any early sunshine diminish, with cloud and mainly light rain edging southwards through the day.

Scotland and Northern Ireland will brighten up after a damp start, but there will be quite a few showers punctuating the spells of sunshine.

Next week

As we move into May, the weather is going to hang onto April’s traits. It’s likely to be cool with below average temperatures.

Although there will be some sunshine, there’ll be spells of rain pushing in off the Atlantic from time to time.

Don’t forget, you can get the latest forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website. You can also follow my regular updates on Twitter – @liamdutton