Issued: 0530hrs Thursday 18th January 2007
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling
Gales for UK, France, Germany, Low Countries and Scandinavia
Today
A stormy day to come through many northern parts of Europe today with damaging gusts to 70 or even 80mph across the UK, northern France, Low Countries, Germany and Denmark. It will be this morning that the winds are strongest in the UK and France, around midday in the Low Countries and Germany and then later this afternoon through Denmark. heavy rain mixed with the winds will lead to thoroughly miserable conditions for all. Further snow for central and northern Norway and Sweden, together with much of Finland.
Further south rain may nudge through northern Spain and much of France, although the rest of Portugal, Spain and most of the western Mediterranean should stay dry and warm with plenty of sunshine. A few showers in northern Italy and the former Yugoslavia, but generally a dry and warm day here too. More sunshine in Greece and Turkey, this extending to Malta, Crete and Cyprus.
Friday
Not as windy for Friday, but still breezy in the UK with rain to the west. For France the day should be largely dry, although western coasts may always be troubled by drizzle. Expect some rain in the southern regions of Germany and Austria, this falling as snow on the Alps, with showers through Poland. For Sweden and Norway a drier day, good sunny spells here. Wet for the Baltic States, Belarus and western Russia as heavy snow turns slowly to rain.
Spain, Portugal, southern France and Italy should all be dry with good spells of sunshine here. A few showers over the former Yugoslavia and western Greece. Most of Greece and Crete should be dry, although some showers may affect western Turkey and Cyprus.