April drier and colder than average

After the wettest April on record in 2012, provisional full-month Met Office figures show this April has been slightly drier than average in the UK.

Rainfall throughout the UK was 64 mm this year, compared to the 1981-2010 average of 72.7 mm. That’s considerably less than the 128 mm we saw last year.

There were big regional differences in April rainfall this year. Scotland saw 121.2 mm of rain which is above the 91.1 mm average and Northern Ireland saw 75.2mm, almost spot on the 75.0 mm average.

However, both England and Wales saw well below average rainfall. Wales had 50.3mm, compared to an average of 89.3mm, and England saw 30.4mm, compared to an average of 58.7 mm.

The month was characterised by generally cold and dry weather, following on from the theme set in March. Despite this, April registered as only slightly colder than average with a mean UK temperature of 6.3 °C, which is 1.1 °C below the 7.4 °C long-term average.

This is the same mean temperature as recorded in April 2012. To find a colder April than the last two years, you have to go back to 1989 – which saw a mean temperature of 5.5 °C.

Scotland saw the coldest temperatures compared to country specific averages, with a mean temperature of 4.8 °C, which is 1.3 °C below average – and is the same temperature as recorded in 1998.

The warmest day of the month was 25 April at Faversham in Kent when the temperature recorded was 23.1°C.

In terms of sunshine, Scotland was sunnier than the rest of the UK with hours of sunshine totalling 170.9, followed by Northern Ireland with 168.0, England at 167.7 and Wales at 162.7 hours.

This compares with only 127.9 hours of sunshine in April last year throughout the UK. The sunniest April in the last 10 years was 2007 with 203.5 hours.

	Mean Temperature		Sunshine hours		Rainfall
Apr-13	Actual	Diff to Avg	Actual	Diff to Avg	Actual	Diff to Avg
	degC	degC	hours	%	mm	%
UK	6.3	-1.1	168.4	114	64	88
England	7.2	-0.9	167.7	108	30.4	52
Wales	6.4	-1.2	162.7	105	50.3	56
Scotland	4.8	-1.3	170.9	127	121.2	133
N Ireland	6.5	-1.1	168	115	75.2	100

Warm but unsettled weekend ahead as cold eases grip on UK

The UK is set to see some warmer temperatures this weekend as the colder than average weather seen so far this April eases its grip.

Temperatures have been steadily climbing since the exceptionally cold weather towards the start of the month, with today through to Friday set to see double-digit figures for many places.

On Saturday temperatures will be generally between 11 and 13 °C, feeling much milder than recent days. However, the weather will be wet, fairly windy and unsettled for many parts – with the best of any drier and brighter weather in the south and east.

Forecast chart for midday Saturday shows low pressure moving in from the Atlantic to bring mild but wet and windy weather for most of the country. High pressure still dominates in the south and east, bringing the best of any drier and brighter weather.

Warmest day of the year so far

Sunday looks set to be the warmest day of 2013 so far, with temperatures expected to be widely in the mid-teens Celsius. While the weather will be slightly more settled than Saturday, many places will see cloudy and breezy conditions with a risk of some light showers.

Once again the south and east will see the best of the weather, with drier and brighter conditions and temperatures of 15-18 °C – with a possibility that some isolated spots could reach around 20 °C.

Leading in to next week temperatures look set to cool slightly, but remain around average for the time of year.

Jet stream shift brings milder weather

The reason for the shift away from the colder weather is the re-alignment of the jet stream, a band of fast moving westerly winds high up in the atmosphere which tends to guide Atlantic weather systems. It’s these weather systems that bring us the mild and unsettled weather we normally expect at this time of year.

During the prolonged cold conditions the jet stream tracked far to the south of the UK, guiding those mild weather systems towards the Mediterranean. The UK, meanwhile, saw an easterly flow – bringing in cold conditions from the cold winter climes of north-east Europe.

Now the jet stream has started to shift its track, moving north to a position more in line with what we’d expect at this time of year. This means we expect to see milder, but also more unsettled weather coming in from the Atlantic over the coming week or so.

Met Office figures show we are on course for coldest March in over 50 years

This March is set to be the coldest since 1962 in the UK in the national record dating back to 1910, according to provisional Met Office statistics.

From 1 to 26 March the UK mean temperature was 2.5 °C, which is three degrees below the long term average. This also makes it joint 4^th coldest on record in the UK.

The table below gives details of statistics up to the 26 March for broken down by the counties used to compile climate statistics.

	mean temperature		precipitation
	Actual  (deg C)	Difference from 1981-2010 average (deg C)	Actual (mm)	Percentage of 1981-2010 average (%)
Regions
UK	2.5	-3.0	62.2	65
England	2.9	-3.3	63.4	99
Wales	2.8	-3.0	86.2	74
Scotland	1.6	-2.5	50.3	36
N Ireland	3.0	-2.9	78.9	83
England & Wales	2.9	-3.3	66.6	94
England N	2.0	-3.5	54.0	72
England S	3.4	-3.2	68.4	118
Historic Counties
Aberdeenshire	0.6	-3.1	67.9	86
Anglesey	3.9	-2.9	79.8	100
Antrim	2.9	-2.8	68.9	75
Argyllshire	2.5	-2.1	47.2	22
Armagh	3.1	-3.1	96.8	125
Ayrshire	2.0	-2.9	53.8	41
Banffshire	0.8	-3.1	56.4	76
Bedfordshire	3.0	-3.5	50.1	119
Berkshire	3.4	-3.2	78.5	157
Berwickshire	1.6	-3.2	65.0	108
Brecknockshire	1.9	-3.1	100.5	74
Buckinghamshire	3.1	-3.4	66.6	137
Buteshire	2.7	-2.3	58.0	36
Caithness	2.3	-1.9	45.5	52
Cambridgeshire	3.2	-3.5	40.0	102
Cardiganshire	2.8	-2.8	62.5	54
Carmarthenshire	3.4	-2.7	87.0	69
Carnarvonshire	2.8	-3.0	96.1	64
Cheshire	2.9	-3.5	42.1	72
Clackmannanshire	1.7	-2.7	65.3	57
Cornwall	5.1	-2.3	102.0	109
Cumberland	1.6	-3.3	42.1	37
Denbighshire	2.1	-3.4	66.2	75
Derbyshire	1.9	-3.7	58.8	81
Devon	4.0	-2.7	112.9	118
Dorset	4.0	-2.7	96.8	132
Down	3.2	-3.0	158.4	193
Dumfriesshire	1.3	-3.1	65.6	53
Dunbartonshire	2.1	-2.7	49.4	25
Durham	1.6	-3.4	61.9	99
East Lothianshire	1.9	-3.2	55.4	100
Essex	3.5	-3.3	44.2	110
Fermanagh	3.0	-3.0	45.6	42
Fifeshire	2.3	-3.0	58.8	89
Flintshire	2.9	-3.5	60.9	105
Forfarshire	0.9	-3.0	73.1	89
Glamorganshire	3.6	-2.8	123.1	98
Gloucestershire	3.2	-3.3	77.1	129
Hampshire	3.9	-2.9	85.4	133
Herefordshire	2.9	-3.5	80.3	134
Hertfordshire	3.2	-3.4	50.3	109
Huntingdonshire	3.1	-3.6	56.4	143
Inverness	1.3	-2.1	36.9	19
Kent	3.8	-3.1	58.2	121
Kincardineshire	1.5	-3.1	56.5	82
Kinross	1.5	-3.0	65.6	65
Kirkcudbrightshire	1.7	-3.0	79.2	54
Lanarkshire	1.2	-3.0	51.8	47
Lancashire	2.6	-3.3	41.1	45
Leicestershire	2.4	-3.8	52.4	114
Lincolnshire	2.7	-3.6	49.0	113
Londonderry	3.0	-2.8	59.3	60
Merionethshire	1.8	-3.1	98.6	62
Mid Lothianshire	1.7	-3.1	59.4	83
Middlesex	4.2	-3.3	57.7	128
Monmouthshire	3.1	-3.2	94.8	100
Montgomeryshire	2.0	-3.4	64.5	56
Moray	1.7	-2.8	39.5	60
Nairnshire	1.5	-2.9	32.0	47
Norfolk	3.0	-3.4	60.5	128
Northamptonshire	2.6	-3.6	61.0	133
Northumberland	1.5	-3.3	63.0	92
Nottinghamshire	2.6	-3.8	49.0	113
Oxfordshire	3.0	-3.3	74.3	149
Peeblesshire	0.4	-3.4	69.6	68
Pembrokeshire	4.0	-2.6	76.9	77
Perthshire	0.6	-2.6	58.8	39
Radnorshire	1.7	-3.2	87.8	91
Renfrewshire	2.5	-2.8	42.8	29
Ross and Cromarty	2.1	-2.0	35.1	20
Roxburghshire	1.0	-3.4	62.8	73
Rutland	2.4	-3.7	58.0	123
Selkirkshire	0.5	-3.1	76.5	68
Shropshire	2.6	-3.5	61.6	108
Somerset	3.8	-3.0	65.3	91
Staffordshire	2.3	-3.7	51.0	87
Stirlingshire	1.9	-2.9	53.2	36
Suffolk	3.2	-3.3	46.4	104
Surrey	3.7	-3.1	72.1	135
Sussex	4.0	-2.8	64.6	103
Sutherland	1.5	-2.4	38.8	27
Tyrone	2.8	-2.8	60.1	57
Warwickshire	2.8	-3.6	52.2	110
West Lothianshire	1.9	-3.1	49.3	62
West Suffolk	3.3	-3.5	31.8	80
Westmorland	1.2	-3.1	56.1	40
Wigtownshire	2.7	-2.8	55.5	51
Wiltshire	3.3	-3.0	76.1	118
Worcestershire	3.1	-3.5	63.9	133
Yorkshire	1.9	-3.6	59.0	84

Clearly March has been extremely cold and snowy and joins 2006, 2001, 1995, 1987, 1979, 1970 and 1962 as years when March saw some significant snowfall.

The cold weather is expected to continue through the Easter weekend and into April. You can stay up-to-date with forecasts and warnings online, through our mobile apps, facebook and twitter, and through TV and radio broadcasts.

The table below lists the coldest March average temperatures on record and details where March 2013 ranks in terms of cold months of March.

Area	Coldest March on Record (deg C and year)		Rank of March 2013
Aberdeenshire	-1.4	1947	5
Anglesey	3.6	1962	2
Antrim	2.2	1947	5
Argyllshire	1.5	1947	5
Armagh	2.9	1919/1947	4
Ayrshire	1.0	1947	5
Banffshire	-1.0	1947	5
Bedfordshire	2.3	1962	2
Berkshire	2.6	1962	2
Berwickshire	0.3	1947	5
Brecknockshire	1.1	1962	2
Buckinghamshire	2.3	1962	2
Buteshire	1.5	1947	5
Caithness	0.0	1947	5
Cambridgeshire	2.6	1962	2
Cardiganshire	2.0	1962	3
Carmarthenshire	2.5	1962	3
Carnarvonshire	2.3	1962	3
Cheshire	2.6	1962	2
Clackmannanshire	0.1	1947	4
Cornwall	3.9	1962	2
Cumberland	1.0	1947	4
Denbighshire	1.4	1962	2
Derbyshire	1.5	1962	2
Devon	3.1	1962	2
Dorset	3.1	1962	2
Down	3.0	1937/1947	4
Dumfriesshire	0.5	1947	5
Dunbartonshire	0.3	1947	5
Durham	0.9	1947	4
East Lothianshire	0.2	1947	5
Essex	2.8	1962	2
Fermanagh	2.8	1947	3
Fifeshire	0.7	1947	5
Flintshire	2.4	1962	2
Forfarshire	-0.6	1947	4
Glamorganshire	2.9	1962	3
Gloucestershire	2.6	1962	2
Hampshire	3.0	1962	2
Herefordshire	2.4	1962	2
Hertfordshire	2.4	1962	2
Huntingdonshire	2.6	1962	2
Inverness	0.0	1947	5
Kent	2.9	1962	2
Kincardineshire	0.3	1947	2
Kinross	-0.1	1947	5
Kirkcudbrightshire	0.9	1947	3
Lanarkshire	0.0	1947	5
Lancashire	2.3	1962	2
Leicestershire	2.0	1962	2
Lincolnshire	2.4	1962	2
Londonderry	2.2	1947	5
Merionethshire	1.2	1962	3
Mid Lothianshire	0.1	1947	5
Middlesex	3.4	1962	2
Monmouthshire	2.5	1962	2
Montgomeryshire	1.3	1962	3
Moray	-0.2	1947	5
Nairnshire	0.0	1947	5
Norfolk	2.5	1962	2
Northamptonshire	2.1	1962	2
Northumberland	0.4	1947	4
Nottinghamshire	2.4	1962	2
Oxfordshire	2.4	1962	2
Peeblesshire	-1.2	1947	5
Pembrokeshire	3.2	1962	3
Perthshire	-1.2	1947	5
Radnorshire	1.1	1962	2
Renfrewshire	0.8	1947	5
Ross and Cromarty	0.8	1947	5
Roxburghshire	-0.4	1947	5
Rutland	1.9	1962	2
Selkirkshire	-0.8	1947	5
Shropshire	2.1	1962	2
Somerset	3.0	1962	2
Staffordshire	1.9	1962	2
Stirlingshire	0.1	1947	5
Suffolk	2.5	1962	2
Surrey	2.8	1962	2
Sussex	2.9	1962	2
Sutherland	0.1	1947	5
Tyrone	2.3	1947	5
Warwickshire	2.3	1962	2
West Lothianshire	0.3	1947	5
West Suffolk	2.5	1962	2
Westmorland	0.4	1947	3
Wigtownshire	1.7	1947	3
Wiltshire	2.5	1962	2
Worcestershire	2.7	1962	2
Yorkshire	1.4	1947	3

The full month figures for March 2013 will be available later next week and a summary of the month will be issued soon after.

Cold Weather Alert Service extended to help support

With cold weather forecast across the UK as we head through the Easter weekend and into the start of April, the Cold Weather Alert Service, which usually finishes at the end of March, has been extended for an additional two weeks.

The Cold Weather Plan, which has run successfully since 2011, has been developed by the Department of Health, Met Office and Health Protection Agency, and supported by AgeUK.

The purpose of the Cold Weather Plan is to help raise awareness of the dangers of cold weather on health with both the general public and professionals alike. It spells out what preparations both individuals and organisations could make to reduce health risks and includes specific measures to protect at-risk groups.

The Cold Weather Plan has been supported again this winter by the Met Office Cold Weather Alert Service, which notifies frontline staff across the health, social care, community and voluntary sectors, and AgeUK, as well as the general public across England, when cold weather could impact on our health.

The continued period of cold weather has brought substantial media focus. By extending the service we are ensuring that accurate and reliable forecasts and alerts are sent to frontline staff and carers in our health services. This will help them to look after those who are more vulnerable and ensure that they stay well and healthy during this prolonged spell of cold weather.

You can keep up to date with the latest forecasts from the Met Office on our website.

March – a month of weather contrasts

Winter seems to have hung on for quite some time this year with low temperatures, frost, ice and snow affecting many areas into late March. This isn’t altogether unusual as we are more likely to see snow at Easter than at Christmas. However, March 2012 was very different with plenty of sunshine and temperatures into the low 20s Celsius. How come?

Well, this time last year the UK was under the influence of high pressure. This gave us clear skies, plenty of sunshine and with a light southerly breeze, temperatures that were well above average. In fact, Scotland set an all time record maximum temperature with 22.8 °C at Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire.

Visible satellite image from March 2012

This year, with a strong easterly wind bringing cold air from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, we have quite the opposite with eastern parts of the UK in particular seeing snow, ice and temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius lower.

Visibile satellite image from March 2013

The direction of the wind therefore plays a major part in what type of weather you and I will see, especially as we have the Atlantic Ocean to our west and continental Europe to our south and east. Different wind directions bring air with different temperature and moisture contents. Meteorologically, they are termed air masses and in March 2012 we saw a Tropical Continental air mass bringing dry and warm air from the Mediterranean. This year we have been affected by a Polar Continental air mass, bringing cold air from the east. The following video explains exactly what we mean by air masses.

With different air masses constantly affecting the UK, the weather is a particularly challenging thing to forecast, especially so in March. This is because in early spring the sun is starting to rise higher in the sky and the amount of daylight hours start to increase. This means we get more heat building up in the lower part of our atmosphere. The result is slightly more energy, which in turn can lead to heavier showers. We can also see more unstable air and more active fronts as a result of greater heating. With more moisture available in the atmosphere, we also tend to see heavier or more prolonged rainfall and if this mixes with cold air, more snowfall. It makes forecasting more complicated because the extra heat and moisture adds another aspect to the weather, which tends amplify the effects of different air masses.

You can find out more about forecasting snow on our website or on the following video:

Spring swing brings colder weather and snow

We’ve had some very mild conditions this week with welcome sunshine pushing temperatures into the high teens. However, in a classic spring swing, colder weather is on the way as we head into the weekend.

By Saturday, we will see a return of easterly winds which will bring in much colder air from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. Snow is expected across some eastern parts of the country over the weekend. By the start of next week, most of the UK will see daytime highs in low single figures with some frosty and icy nights.

So how unusual is it to see cold weather and snow in March?

The UK’s weather is very much at the mercy of where our winds come from, and throughout spring we can see sudden swings in the weather conditions. If we look back to last year we had very high temperatures at the end of March as the UK was under the influence of high pressure and light south-easterly winds. This year, this week’s south-easterly winds are now giving way to colder easterlies.

What about snow?

Statistics show that snow is more likely in March than around Christmas. As we know, heat from the sun increases as we head towards summer and this can lead to some interesting weather in March. With more heat from the sun the ground warms up more quickly and gives very unstable air, which can lead to a greater number of showers. Warmer air also holds more moisture so showers can give heavier rainfall. If this combines with cold air we can potentially see some heavy snowfall. However, easterly winds tend to be dry and so substantial snow fall is not expected over the next week.

As always, the Met Office will be working with different agencies to keep Britain on the move, and to keep people safe and well during periods of cold weather. The latest forecasts and warnings can be found online, through our mobile apps and through TV and radio broadcasts.

It’s cold but why is there no frost?

There’s no denying that we have seen some cold weather this winter with plenty of frost, ice and in many cases, snow. However, the last week has been cold – arguably perhaps feeling colder than any other time this winter – but we haven’t seen any evidence of this on the ground in the way of frost. So how is this possible?

For a classic frosty night we need a few ingredients: low temperatures, clear skies, calm winds and moisture. A clear, calm night gives excellent radiation conditions – by this we mean that the heat absorbed by the Earth’s surface during the day escapes readily back into space and allows temperatures to fall. If the temperature falls to the dew point (the temperature to which air must cool for it to become saturated with water vapour) moisture will condense and form droplets on the ground’s surface. When temperatures fall below freezing the droplets freeze and we get frost.

So what about the last few days? They have been cold but there hasn’t really been any prolonged or hard frost. How come? Well, much of Scotland and Northern Ireland has had the required ingredients and been frosty, but the rest of the UK has only had low temperatures. Much of England and Wales have seen a fair amount of cloud and some brisk winds.

Surface pressure chart from 25 February 2013

Cloud acts as a blanket and although temperatures have fallen during the night-time, cloud cover has stopped them falling well below freezing and therefore made it difficult for a thick frost to form. The wind is also important as it mixes the lower part of our atmosphere. Rather than having cold air pooling in one place and causing low temperatures, the wind can bring less cold air from another location or even bring it down from the upper atmosphere. This also helps to keep temperatures from falling too low. However, easterly winds this week have certainly made it feel very cold indeed!

Visible satellite image from 25 February 2013

Lastly, the air near the surface has been relatively dry. This is important because it means the temperature of the air must fall very low in order to reach its dew point. The cloud and wind has stopped this from happening easily and therefore reduced the risk of frost.

Cold weather, then, brings lots of different tastes of winter, especially to the UK, and we have seen nearly all of them this season. More information on all types of weather can be found here.

Why does it feel so cold? A guide to ‘feels like’ temperatures

With bitterly cold conditions across parts of the UK just now, have you been asking yourself why it can feel so much colder in the wind?

The temperatures that you normally see on our website represent the temperature of the air, but this takes no account of how we actually experience the temperature. It is our ‘feels like’ temperature that gives you a better idea about how the weather will actually feel when you step outdoors.

Our ‘feels like’ temperature takes into account wind speeds and humidity to assess how the human body actually feels temperature.  For example in winter a strong wind can feel much colder than the measured temperature would indicate. The impacts of the temperature and wind combined can be much greater  than each on their own and the feels like temperature allows users to make a better assessment of conditions outdoors.

But how do you actually calculate the ‘feels like’ temperature?

We calculate a ‘feels like temperature by taking into account the expected air temperature, relative humidity and the strength of the wind at around 5 feet (the typical height of an human face) combined with our understanding of how heat is lost from the human body during cold and windy days.

On windy days the speed of moisture evaporation from your skin increases and serves to move heat away from your body making it feel colder than it actually is. The exception to this rule, however, is when higher temperatures are concerned. At higher temperatures, wind chill is considered far less significant. Instead humidity plays a greater role. When a human being perspires, the water in his or her sweat evaporates. This results in the cooling of the body as heat is carried away from it. When humidity is high, the rate of evaporation and cooling is reduced, resulting in it feeling hotter than it actually is.

Using these facts we use a formula to adjust the air temperature based on our understanding of wind chill at lower temperatures, heat index at higher temperatures and a combination of the two in between.

You can get ‘feels like’ temperatures on our five day forecast and on our Android, iPhone and Windows Phone apps.

Cold weather across UK

The start of this week was relatively mild and sunny but we have seen a change to colder and cloudier weather during the course of the week.

High pressure became established to the north-east of the UK and this dragged in colder air from Scandinavia. It took some time for the cold air to filter across the whole of the UK but over the last couple of days daytime temperatures struggled to rise to 3 °C in some places. Brisk winds across England and Wales made it feel much colder, and we saw a few snow showers across eastern parts of the country.

Will Lang, Met Office Chief Forecaster, said: “This is a different taste of winter to the snow and ice we have seen of late. These largely dry, settled and cold conditions may not be as disruptive to travel but they do present concerns surrounding the health and well being of the elderly and vulnerable.”

The Met Office issued a level 3 Cold Weather Alert in light of the widespread and prolonged cold conditions. These alerts give advance warning of adverse weather conditions, which enable people to take extra precautions to keep safe and well.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “Severe cold weather can be dangerous, especially for the very young or very old or those with chronic disease. You can find advice on how to reduce your risk or that of somebody you know on the NHS Choices website, ringing NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 or contacting your local GP or pharmacist.

“The NHS is well prepared for the winter and we are providing an extra £330 million to the NHS and social care services to help cope with the added pressure that the winter brings.”

With high pressure remaining in place, cold and largely settled weather looks set to remain across the UK until the end of February at least, and you can find the latest information from our forecasts and warnings, our mobile apps and through broadcasts on TV and radio.

UK snow depths Saturday 26 January 2013

As forecast, further snow fell across central, northern and eastern parts of the UK yesterday and overnight. The latest snow depth observations as of 0800 this morning for the UK are below. Redesdale Camp in Northumbria has the highest snow depth so far this year with 33 cm recorded.

Location	Area	Depth (cm)
Redesdale Camp	Northumberland	33
Eskdalemuir	Dumfriesshire	30
Albemarle	Northumberland	25
Spadeadam	Cumbria	25
Aboyne	Aberdeenshire	20
Bingley	West Yorkshire	20
Little Rissington	Gloucestershire	18
Leek, Thorncliffe	Staffordshire	16
Nottingham, Watnall	Nottinghamshire	12
Leconfield	Humberside	11
Strathallan Airfield	Perthshire	11
Church Fenton	North Yorkshire	11
Wittering	Cambridgeshire	10
Sennybridge	Powys	10
Andrewsfield	Essex	10
Dyce	Aberdeenshire	9
Cranwell	Lincolnshire	9
Linton On Ouse	North Yorkshire	8
Wattisham	Suffolk	8
Scampton	Lincolnshire	8
Marham	Norfolk	7
Shap	Cumbria	7
Leeming	North Yorkshire	7
Boulmer	Northumberland	6
Shawbury	Shropshire	5
Waddington	Lincolnshire	5
Rostherne	Cheshire	4
Bridlington MRSC	Humberside	4
Hawarden Airport	Clwyd	3
Glasgow, Bishopton	Renfrewshire	3
Coningsby	Lincolnshire	3
Bedford	Bedfordshire	3
Coleshill	Warwickshire	3
Liscombe	Somerset	2
Dunkeswell Aerodrome	Devon	2
Drumalbin	Lanarkshire	2
Hereford, Credenhill	Hereford & Worcester	2
Prestwick, Gannet	Ayrshire	2
Odiham	Hampshire	1

As we continue through the weekend all of us will see a change to milder and unsettled conditions, with further rain, heavy at times pushing east across the UK later on Saturday and into Sunday. A yellow warning of heavy rain has been issued for parts of the UK overnight tonight

The change to milder weather will result in a combination of a thaw of lying snow and periods of rain which inevitably increases the risk of flooding in some areas. The Met Office and Environment Agency are monitoring the situation very closely and advise everyone to stay up to date with the latest weather forecasts, severe weather warnings, and flood warnings.

By thinking ahead we can all be better prepared for severe weather. Throughout the winter, the Met Office works with agencies across the UK to help keep the country safe, well and on the move.