Easter weather to offer mixed fortunes

With the Easter weekend starting tomorrow, there is no doubt that many of you will be wondering what the weather will offer.

So far this spring, we’ve had some lovely weather. There’s been an abundance of sunshine, accompanied by pleasant warmth.

Easter is a time of year that can experience a huge range of weather, not just because it can fall over a wide range of dates, but also due to it occurring in spring – a season renowned for its variability. 

What you may be surprised to hear, is that statistically, snow is more likely to occur at Easter in the UK than at Christmas.

Easter extremes

Before I take a look ahead at what to expect this weekend, I thought I’d take a quick look back at the extremes of weather we’ve had at Easter in the past.

The warmest Easter on record was on 23 April 2011, when Wisley in Surrey reached 27.8C. High pressure over Europe pushed a plume of very warm air across us from Iberia.

At the other end of the scale, the coldest Easter on record was last year, when the temperature fell to -12.5C in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on Easter Sunday.

The wettest Easter on record was on 14 April 1963, when 148.8mm of rain fell at Oakeley Quarry, Gwynedd.

The snowiest Easter on record was on 3 April 2010, with 33cm of snow lying on the ground at Strathdearn Dalrossie, Inverness-shire.

Easter this year

The main message for this Easter, is that after a fine start, it will gradually turn more unsettled through Sunday and into Monday.

After a chilly start, Good Friday will be dry and fine across the UK with lots of sunshine. It’ll feel pleasant for most, although a cool breeze will affect North Sea coasts, where it could turn cloudier later.

Saturday will be another chilly start, but many places will have another dry day with sunny spells. However, the far north west of Scotland will be cloudy with a little rain.

Sunday will see cloud and rain spread across England and Wales, with an increasing breeze. Scotland and Northern Ireland will hold on to the sunshine though.

Monday will see low pressure sitting over the UK, so despite some sunshine, there’ll be some showers around as well.

Temperatures throughout the Easter weekend will be around 11-17C by day, falling as low as 0-5C on Friday and Saturday night, with a touch of frost possible.

Don’t forget, you can get the latest forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website. I’ll also be posting regular updates on Twitter – @liamdutton