Issued: 0530hrs Tuesday 20th March 2007
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling

Cold with strong winds, showers and rain for many

Today
A cold day through the British Isles, bringing snow showers for many places wit strong winds too. These showers will be penetrating through the Low Countries, western parts of Germany and France. Further showers across the north of Italy with some through northern Portugal too. To the south of Spain and Portugal it should be drier, although still feeling cool.
The central Mediterranean is going to be staying unsettled through all areas. Low pressure will be centred over Italy and this will bring heavy periods of rain here. Strong winds and heavy showers will be spreading through much of southern France and the Balearics, these could turn wintry at times.
The rain and showers spread through the former Yugoslavia, these reaching western Greece later. For eastern Greece it should be drier with some sunny spells. Further spells of sunshine across Turkey, Crete and Cyprus and it should be dry here too.
Bulgaria and Romania are likely to be breezy with broken cloud and sunny spells. Rain, heavy at times in Austria and Hungary, with drizzle and rain spreading into the Ukraine and Belarus too.
Across the Baltic States it should be dry until the afternoon in sunny spells. Finland will have a few showers, whilst Sweden will be mainly dry with sunny spells, apart from snow showers in the north. For much of western and northern Norway it will be unsettled in snow showers, some of them heavy.

Wednesday
A complex area of low pressure through Central parts of Europe, a ridge of high pressure building to the west. So, still wintry showers through France, some of them heavy at times. Further heavy wintry showers in Germany too, with more persistent snow across Switzerland.
The showers affecting northern coasts of Spain, but Portugal and southern Spain should be staying generally dry, Further heavy, wintry showers in the Mediterranean and windy here too. Italy is going to be unsettled in further showers and again these are likely to be heavy in places.
Heavy showers too through the former Yugoslavia and the west of Greece. Further showers and rain spreading through the Aegean and into the wet of Turkey, whilst much of the rest of Turkey and Cyprus should be dry. Cloud and rain through Bulgaria and Romania,as well as Poland, where some could be heavy, Windy with rain through the Baltic States, with winds and showers in Denmark.
Norway and Sweden will become cold with a sharp and widespread frost for many, Finland will be dry and cold too, although rain and drizzle moving into the south in the afternoon.