Issued: 0530hrs Thursday 15th March 2007
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling

Plenty of sunshine for many, and it should be generally dry

Today
High pressure is going to be bringing some pleasant spring sunshine to much of central and southern Europe during the course of today. It does look as if most of Portugal and Spain are going to be enjoying a fine day, after the clearance of early morning mist and fog patches. There is a risk of some showers later in the far south of Spain, but generally it should be dry.
For much of France and southern England the day is going to be dry as well. Good spells of sunshine are expected for many after morning mist and fog clears, although there is a threat of a shower in the south. This shower risk extending to northern Italy, although morning fog patches here will slowly clear. For southern Italy the day should be fine with more sunshine, and this extending through Greece too. For Turkey expect a few showers in the north and east, whilst the south should be dry.
The Low Countries, Germany and eastern Denmark will be dry with more sunny spells, these pushing into Poland, Belarus and the Ukraine.
Across Scandinavia conditions will be more unsettled with some outbreaks of rain and drizzle here, the heaviest moving into western Norway this afternoon, and also passing through Sweden.

Friday
Friday sees the high pressure being eroded a touch, making the forecast more complicated. At the moment I think most of Spain and Portugal should be dry, although rain is perilously close to southern coasts. Over southern France and northern Italy the threat of showers persists, and again a few could be heavy. Broken cloud and some showery rain moving into northern France and through the Low Countries, this reaching central Germany.
For southern Italy and Greece the day should be dry with some sunshine, and it should stay dry, although cold through Crete. Southern and western Turkey will be fine, whilst rain and showers again trouble the north.
Romania and Bulgaria should have some fine conditions in sunny spells, whilst further north cloud could be thicker with periods of rain at times, some of it heavy.
Scandinavia looks most unsettled with widespread gales here. Heavy rain will pass through Finland and the Baltic States, to be followed by scattered showers in Sweden. For Norway the showers will be heavier and more frequent, this turning to more persistent rain later.