High Is UK’s Friend Now But Enemy Later As Unusually Cold End To April Looms!

Written by Mark Vogan on April 20, 2016 in Rest of Europe, Spring 2016, United Kingdom & Ireland with 0 Comments

High pressure continues to promote beautiful clear skies for much of the British Isles. Great weather if you happen to be off this week.

Satellite picture from yesterday.

Credit: NASA

Last night’s sky was just beautiful here.

Credit: Mark Vogan

This morning’s satellite view is even better. Barely a whisp of cloud from southern Highlands to South Coast.

Credit: Met Office

Here’s the evidence down below!

Credit: Mark Vogan

Those clear skies made for another cool start with light frost on my car for a second straight morning.

Credit: Met Office

Despite the morning chill, the air is quick to warm since the sun is as strong as late August. By 2-3pm we should widely see 13-16, locally 18C.

Credit: BBC Weather

Ready for the big temperature drop coming this weekend?

Credit: BBC Weather

If you like warmth which the majority of us do at this time of year then the high pressure that’s our friend just now will be our enemy this weekend as it retrogrades WNW.

Credit: Tropical Tidbits

TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Monica McNally @MonicaMcNally

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At the moment, the high is providing us with sinking air which warms nicely in a sunny and light wind regime. We’ll happily trade the chilly nights for cloudless, pleasantly mild feeling spring days but as this high departs to our west and with winds blowing clockwise around the centre, are you ready to be introduced to northerly winds again this weekend?

Once this pattern establishes late weekend, systems will ride the northerly flow over the UK bringing wind, rain, sleet and snow. I suspect each system could push in reinforced late season cold air. Nights that may be chilly now will be a lot chillier next week as we bring in a much colder air mass that lowers the bar of potential cooling overnight.

This is not the prettiest end to April. In fact this may be one of the colder since the memorable cold and snow to end April 1981.

Credit: Tropical Tidbits

Yes, Greenland’s southwest coast will likely enjoy warmer weather than the UK late weekend and through much of next week as warm air lifts north and cold air south.