Issued: 0530hrs Saturday 19th January 2008
Duty forecaster: John Ejdowski
Severe gales in the north, high pressure dominates western Europe
Today
Mild but rather unsettled day to come for much of central and northern parts of Europe. Severe gales are also likely across Scandinavia, The Baltic Region and northern Russia. Outbreaks of rain will affect an area of rain will extend from Sweden and Finland, where it will be heavy, down into western Russia across the Baltic States into Belarus, Germany, the Low Countries, Poland and central and northern France and the United Kingdom.
Very warm and sunny across Spain with temperatures near 20C so feeling very spring like today. This fine weather prevails across into the Balearic Islands into southern France, Italy, Greece and Turkey as well. Some light rain across the former Czech Republic should clear in the afternoon as it brightens up. Apart from the odd shower it's looking dry for Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic as well.
Sunday
The unseasonably mild weather looks set to remain across much of Europe on Sunday. A large area of high pressure will be responsible for this and will bring a dry day with good sunny spells to Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Turkey along with the Alpine Region, The former Czech Republic and the former Yugoslavia as well.
To the north it remains very unsettled with heavy spells of ain for the United Kingdom and this will stretch east into Belgium, Germany, Poland and into the Ukraine.
An area of dry weather will prevail across the Netherlands, Denmark into eastern Norway and southern parts of Sweden and Finland with rain in the north and showers for western Norway. Also dry today across Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria.