Issued: 0530hrs Saturday 2nd March 2007
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling

A wet day for central Europe, showers to north, dry to south

Today
A trailing string of fronts extends through central parts of Europe during the course of today. These will be bringing cloud and rain to a whole swathe of central Europe. Rain will be falling through northern Spain, central and southern parts of France. In Germany the rain could be heavy at times, turning to sleet in the north. More rain to come for Switzerland, Austria and Hungary.
Further north conditions are going to be brighter with just a few showers affecting the north of France. Scattered showers to in the west of Ireland, with some early rain clearing eastern England. This same rain band troubles the Low Countries during the day.
A messy situation through Scandinavia with some snow showers over the coasts of NW Norway. Most of the rest of Norway should be dry with sunshine, whilst Finland and the Baltic States are likely to be more unsettled with snow showers here, heavy at times.
To the south of the rain band there will be drier and brighter weather for the south of Spain and Portugal. Plenty of sunshine here, with hazy sunshine over the Balearics and across southern coasts of France. Much of Italy is going to be dry as well, although I can't rule out the threat of a shower over western coasts. Greece should be dry with sunny spells as will be southern Turkey and Israel. However the north of Turkey could see some showery rain.

Sunday
A change for Sunday with the west seeing most of the unsettled weather. A deep area of low pressure west of Ireland will be bringing widespread gales and heavy rain to much of Ireland and the UK. This rain pushing into the west of Portugal and through northern Spain. Western and northwest France are also going to be seeing plenty of cloud and outbreaks of drizzle at times.
A ridge of high pressure building over central Europe bringing a drier day in Germany, Switzerland and Poland, with a morning frost in these places. There will be a few showers in western Norway, but apart from that the high pressure extends into Scandinavia bringing more dry weather here.
Though the south of Portugal and the rest of Spain, southern France and the Balearics the day is going to be dry; plenty of sunshine to come for all. Italy and the former Yugoslavia will have some morning frost, but this clearing to leave the day dry with sunshine. Greece will be largely dry too, apart from showers in the north and these showers affecting northern Turkey too, where they may turn to sleet and snow. Drier for southern Turkey, Cyprus and Israel with more sunshine to come.