Issued: 0530hrs Thursday 17th April 2008
Duty forecaster: John Ejdowski

Warm through the Mediterranean and south east Europe

Today
Rather windy but dry with sunny spells across the United Kingdom and the Low Counties. One area of rain will spread in across all of France and will be heavy across central and southern areas. Another heavy pulse of rain will move across Portugal and western Spain but dry in the east until evening. Unsettled across Germany, Denmark and Poland with showers or longer spells of rain. Showers across the Alpine will fall as snow on the higher slopes. Another area of moderate to heavy rain will also affect the Baltic States, Belarus, the Ukraine and Russia. Just a few scattered showers to come for the Balearics with showers across northern Italy but fair and dry in the south with some sunshine.
Lots of fine, sunny and warm weather to come today across the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece and Turkey. A cold day to come across Scandinavia but high pressure will give all parts a fine, sunny day after a cold, frosty start.

Friday
A windier and wetter day to come across the United Kingdom along with France with outbreaks of rain. This will be heavier across France and this spread into the Low Countries later in the day. Windy to across Iberia with outbreaks of heavy rain. As this clears in the afternoon heaven showers will affect northern parts of Spain and Portugal. Mainly dry across the Balearics into central and southern Italy. Rain will spread into the far north Italy today with rain too across the Alpine Region. Brighter across the former Czech Republic and Romania with scattered showers.
Pleasantly warm and sunny weather will prevail across the former Yugoslavia into Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. A chilly but dry day to come across all of Scandinavia with long spells of unbroken sunshine after a sharp frost. A fine day across Denmark and Holland with a few scattered showers to fall across Poland but some nice sunshine too. An area of rain will be moving across the Baltic States, Belarus and Russia.