Issued: 0530hrs Monday 23rd March 2009
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling
A fair and warm day for Spain, Portugal and France but cooler in the eastern Mediterranean
Monday
Another fair day to come across much of the western Mediterranean. There will be plenty of sunshine through Spain and Portugal, and this sunshine extending northwards through France and also Switzerland. Conditions are going to be improving across Italy too with some sunny spells here through the day. It is in the eastern Mediterranean where conditions are more unsettled with showers, some of them heavy over the east of Greece, Crete and western Turkey with more persistent rain for Cyprus.
For more northern areas of Europe the weather is more unsettled. Stronger winds and periods of rain are affecting the British Isles, and are tracking through the Low Countries and much of northern Germany and Poland too. This rain could turn to sleet over Denmark. Much colder weather is reserved for Sweden and Norway where there will be some snow showers. These showers merging to longer periods of sleet and snow at times, especially over the south of the countries, whilst northern Norway, Sweden and Finland should be brighter with sunshine but cold as well.
Central parts of Europe across Switzerland, Hungary and Austria, as well as the south of Hungary should be mainly dry with sunny spells.
Tuesday
High pressure holds on through Spain and Portugal today bringing more sunshine and dry weather. A band of cloud and rain moves south through the south of France through the day with brighter skies following behind. This band of cloud and rain extends eastwards to the north of Italy where it will be windy too. Heavy showers will be affecting much of Switzerland, the Low Countries and Germany as well as Poland, and it will be feeling cold here.
A ridge of high pressure is expected to build across Scandinavia. That will give fair and bright conditions to Norway and Sweden as well as Denmark. Good sunny spells here and it will be generally dry. Some wintry showers to come through the Baltic States with Finland being dry with some good spells of sunshine.
back south and for Greece and Turkey, Crete and Cyprus the day is going to be a breezy one. Most places should be dry with good spells of sunshine, although a few showers are possible through western parts of Greece.