Issued: 0530hrs Friday 5th January 2007
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling
Friday
Low pressure controlling conditions for the northern half of Europe today, driving fronts eastwards and bringing rain and strong winds to Ireland, the UK and later into western parts of Norway. Rain and showers also pushing through Germany and parts of northern France, with drizzle for French western coasts. Southern France should be drier with sunny spells. Not a bad day for Scandinavia, before the rain arrives in the west, with a ridge of high pressure bringing dry weather for many. Another area of rain across Finland, western Russia, the Baltic States and Belarus. For southern Europe many places should be dry with sunny spells, the best of these tending to be through Spain and northern Italy. Showers could trouble Italy, whilst Greece should be mainly dry. Heavy showers across Turkey and Cyprus.
Saturday
Little change through Saturday. There will be a further band of rain stretching across northern France and central Germany, into Poland, the Ukraine and Belarus as well as western Russia. Heavier rain extending across Wales and the southern UK. For most of Spain, southern France, Italy and the former Yugoslavia it will be dry with good spells of sunshine. Some showers too extending across Crete and into Cyprus.