Issued: 0530hrs Saturday 5th January 2008
Duty forecaster: John Ejdowski
Not as cold for eastern Europe on Sunday but with snow
Today
Continued very cold across eastern parts of Europe today with strong southerly gales across Scandinavia and much of eastern Europe. Milder and wet weather will affect the United Kingdom, France, Denmark and Germany with spells of rain. As this rain edges east it will be freezing across western Poland and the former Czech Republic with heavy falls of snow across the Alpine Region. Windy across the Low Countries with morning rain giving way to heavy showers.
Heavy rain across Norway will push in across Sweden in the afternoon while Finland looks dry but very windy and cold. Much of Iberia should be dry with sunny spells but some light rain will move into the far north in the afternoon. Unsettled across Italy with showers and rain with snow likely across the former Yugoslavia. A dry day across Greece and Turkey with sunny spells. Very cold and dry across eastern Poland, the Baltic States and Russia.
Sunday
Temperatures slowly rising today across eastern parts of Europe that have been in the grip of sub zero temperatures all week. Heavy falls of snow though are expected across Poland and then the Baltic States, Belarus, the Ukraine and western Russia later in the day. A better day for the United Kingdom with most places dry and sunnier. Dry with sunny spells too for the far north of France, Belgium and The Netherlands.
An area of moderate to heavy rain will affect central France and Germany but it clears northern Germany by the afternoon. The far south of France remains fair and dry. Snow is expected across the Alpine Region with rain in the lower levels. Rain and sleet is expected across Hungary, Romania, the former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria today and will be heavy at times. Fine and dry with sunny spells across Greece and Turkey. Sunny spells across Iberia will extend through the Balearics and southern Italy with some light rain into the far north of Italy later in the day. Windy with an area of snow spreading north onto Sweden and Finland. Milder across Norway with outbreaks of rain.