WEEKEND OUTLOOK

The weekend will be generally rather unsettled with fronts working SE but become more settled as a high quickly moves east across the west of the UK. The risk of some wintry showers and strong winds in the N and NE. Generally rather cold in the N and E, nearer average in the S and W.
Saturday 12th February will see Scotland and N Ireland with a mix of sunny periods and some wintry showers, mainly in the north and west. The snow showers will become rather frequent later in the north and east of Scotland and there may be local blizzards here in places at times as winds increase to be strong or gale force (and locally severe gale force in exposed areas) by evening.Elsewhere it will be a cloudy night with rain (heavy at times over western upslopes) moving away east by dawn. Sunny periods to follow by morning for most with a few light showers near western coasts, possibly wintry in the NW though most of the south and east should remain dry. Quite windy in the N and NW later, gales around exposed NW coasts. Cold in the north by late afternoon, accentuated by the winds but starting mild in the south of the UK, though becoming near the seasonal average by the afternoon.
Sunday 13th February will be a mainly dry sunny day for most, with a lot of sunshine in the south and west. In the east there will be a few wintry showersat times and there may be longer spells of snow over the hills of eastern England near the coasts, though more likely of sleet on lower ground, with the risk of a few cm settling on the hills. Frosty inland in central and western parts by midnight. Very windy to start in the NE with local gales but these dying down by the evening. Average temperatures for the south and west but rather cold elsewhere, accentuated by the winds.