[Victorian Farmer]

A taste of winter for some of us this morning, with wintry showers noted across the northern half of Scotland and the high ground of north-east England, and a frost inland from the Midlands northwards. We do have cloudier milder weather with some rain persisting over southern England, but this will clear away around midday leaving all parts of the country with brighter showery weather.

During the rest of today it will be bright but rather chilly with a northerly or north-easterly breeze. We will see a scattering of showers break out widely during the afternoon, which will produce sleet and snow to low levels in Scotland, and on high ground over England and Wales and Northern Ireland. It will be a cold day everywhere for early May, with maximum temperatures between 8 and 12C, lowest in the north-east and highest in the south-west.

Tonight will have a sharp frost in most areas away from coastal fringes- so gardners take care! Tomorrow will be another day of sunny intervals and scattered showers, and some heavier showers are likely in the afternoon over Scotland and northern England with widespread hail, but still a fair amount of sunshine in between. It will be a little less cold than today during the daytime with maximum temperatures for most between 10 and 14C.

After another cold, frosty night, it's all change on Monday as an Atlantic depression sends a belt of wet and quite windy weather up from the south-west. Not everywhere will see the rain during daylight hours though- in East Anglia and south-east England, plus north-east Scotland, the rain belt probably won't arrive until after dark. The afternoon will be a washout in Wales, north-west England, south-west Scotland and Ireland.

Next week will be a pretty changeable one with warm air pushing up from the south and colliding with our current cold airmass- there will be plenty of cloud and rain about, but also the possibility of warmer air pushing up into the south at times.

[Victorian Farmer]

Temperature
Over the forecast period temperatures should be close to or slightly below Central England Temperature (CET) average.
Precipitation
Slightly above average for many.
1/5 to 7/5
Unsettled weather is expected throughout the week. Through the early part of the period temperatures in brighter spells will be reasonable for the time of year, although it will feel chilly under cloudy and wet spells. During the second part of the period colder air will push down from the north, with an increasing risk of snow over northern hills, and overnight frosts8/5 to 14/5
Rather unsettled weather is expected to continue with further showers or longer spells of rain at times. Temperatures are likely to remain close to or slightly below the seasonal average, especially in the north where snow is still possible over higher ground. Overnight frosts are expected to continue in the north, and even in parts of the south at times.
15/5 to 21/5
A trend towards warmer and drier weather is expected, but in the south in particular heavy showers are likely at times. Possibly drier with below average rainfall in the north and north west. Overnight ground frosts are still expected in northern regions.. The chilly weather is likely to eventually extend to the south of the country with frosts in these parts too.22/5 to 31/5
Drier conditions are expected to develop across the country, with temperatures rising to average or slightly above. Sunshine levels may increase to be close to or slightly above the average. In the north and north west unsettled weather with outbreaks of rain could return at times.