A taste of summer at last

For over a week now, I’ve been mentioning that there have been signs that a more prolonged spell of settled weather is on the way.

After yesterday’s news that this spring has been the coldest in more than 50 years, it is nice to be able to offset the recent gloom with the fact that a taste of summer looks to be on the cards for many into next week.

As always, the weather won’t be perfect for everyone all the time, but everywhere will see some pleasant spells of sunshine, along with temperatures in the range of 17-23C.

With the jet stream finally heading north of the UK, an area of high pressure from the Azores will build across us in the coming days.

It’s this that will act as a barrier and stop any areas of low pressure moving in for the time being – keeping cloud, wind and rain at away.

England and Wales

Through the weekend and for much of next week, there’ll be a good deal of fine and dry weather around across England and Wales.

However, as always, there are caveats. There is a risk that some low cloud will roll in off the North sea during the nights next week, which means the mornings could be cloudier in places, before sunshine breaks through in the afternoon.

Temperatures are likely to be in the range of 17-23C through this weekend and into next week, although some coastal areas will be a little cooler where sea breezes develop.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

This weekend will see weather fronts bring thicker cloud and a little rain to Scotland and Northern Ireland, but because they are running into an area of high pressure, the rain isn’t expected to be significant.

It’s through next week that the weather is likely to perk up, with cloud breaking to give sunny spells and just an odd shower, although coastal parts of eastern Scotland may see cloud linger.

Temperatures are likely to be around 15-20C, although in the best of any sunshine, some places could get a few degrees higher.

Why won’t there be clear blue sky?

Despite the common belief that high pressure always brings clear blue sky and guaranteed hot weather, it isn’t always that straightforward.

The fly in the ointment with next week’s high pressure is that there will be moisture from old weather fronts milling around. This provides a source for cumulus clouds to form as the strong sunshine heats the ground and parcels of moist air rise upwards.

So some days, you’ll find that the day starts with clear blue sky, before cloud builds up by mid-afternoon, then melts away again in the early evening.

How long will the settled weather last?

At the moment, high pressure looks set to sit directly over us for the first half of next week. However, it may drift further northwards during Thursday and Friday.

If it does drift further northwards at the end of the week, then there would be a greater chance of some showers developing.

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