Issued: 0530hrs Friday 20th February 2009
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling
Fair and warm through the western Mediterranean, cooler and more unsettled in the east
Friday
Fine and dry across Portugal and Spain, and feeling warm once again. A few showers for the south of France, but dry through central areas. The north will be rather cloudy and it should stay dry here. Mainly dry weather across the Low Countries as a band of rain plunges southwards through Germany, this possibly falling as snow in the east. Cloud and outbreaks of snow will be in western Poland, but the east should be dry. Broken cloud through Austria and Hungary, with Switzerland being dry with sunny spells.
A few showers could break out over eastern Italy, but elsewhere it is going to be dry with sunny spells. Heavy showers across Greece and also through Crete. More cloud and rain, turning increasingly to sleet and snow over the north of the Aegean and this affecting the west of Turkey too. Eastern Turkey and Cyprus will have sunny spells, but also some showers. A windy day through Bulgaria and Romania with sleet and snow in places.
To the north there will be cloud and snow for the Baltic States with further snow affecting the southern half of Finland. Broken cloud over Norway, whilst southern Norway will have cloud and some sleet or snow. Fair for most of Sweden, but some cloud and snow showers to the north.
Saturday
Dry weather over Spain and Portugal. Good spells of sunshine here and feeling warm too. Dry weather over most of France with plenty of sunshine. Cloudier skies are likely to be affecting the Low Countries and the northwest of Germany, but more southern areas should be drier and brighter with some sunny spells. A cold and dry day to come through Poland with sunshine here, although over Hungary and Austria there will be some cloud and a few snow showers. Mainly fair in Switzerland with some sunshine.
Scattered showers for Italy, mostly to the west, but for most places it is going to be dry with sunny spells. Fair over Greece with sunny spells and this sunshine affecting Crete as well. More unsettled through Turkey and Cyprus where there will be some showers. Cloud and patchy outbreaks of drizzle and sleet over Bulgaria and Romania.
To the north there will be a fair amount of cloud and some outbreaks of snow over Finland, although this will only be light. More cloud and some patchy snow through Finland whilst Sweden should be dry with sunny spells. Some patchy rain and sleet drifting into Denmark. Rain and sleet for Norway, rather windy as well.