Issued: 0530hrs Friday 23rd March 2007
Duty forecaster: John Ejdowski

Heavy rain for the Balkans with thunder

Today
Lots of cloud across England today with some patchy drizzle at times. Light rain and drizzle is also likely across western parts of France and along the north coast of Spain. Windier across western parts of France into Germany with outbreaks of rain and snow. Windy as well across The Low Countries, Denmark and Sweden with some sleet but tending to dry up here through the day. Patchy rain, sleet and snow will fall across parts of Norway while it looks dry and fine across Finland but with some locally dense morning fog patches. Milder today across the Baltic States with just a few scattered showers. An area of rain will affect Poland and the Balkans with heavier rain into western Turkey. Rain to will move into Cyprus with a risk of thunderstorms in the eastern Mediterranean. Quite warm though here. Windy into the central Mediterranean with plenty of showers across Italy, Sardinia and Scilly. Best of the dry, sunny weather will be found across southern Spain into the south of France.

Saturday
A sunny, dry day to come across Spain, Portugal and the Balearics today. Rather cloudy again across France with sporadic outbreaks of patchy rain or drizzle but some dry, brighter spells too. An area of rain will stretch from Belgium southward across Germany across the Balkan Peninsula with heavy showers and rain across Turkey and Cyprus. Further showers are likely across Italy, Austria and Switzerland. Feeling pleasantly mild across Scandinavia, The Baltic States into Poland today and dry with sunny spells. Still quite a breeze day here. Lots of cloud today across the United Kingdom but largely dry and milder too.