Issued: 0530hrs Saturday 9th January 2010
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling

Very cold in northern Europe, but rain to the south

Saturday
A cold day across Spain and Portugal. There will be sunny spells, the best of them through Portugal. A few wintry showers may affect northern Spain with further showers, some wintry for the Balearics. A deep area of low pressure over northern Italy is responsible for the cold weather and this will be giving heavy periods of rain across much of Italy, with snow in the far north. Strong winds and bitterly cold conditions affecting much of central Europe with snow affecting Poland, Germany, the Low Countries and northern parts of France. Austria and Hungary will have sleet, snow and strong winds, these affecting Switzerland too.
Greece will have a fine day and a warm one. Lots of sunshine to come here, and this fine weather extending throughout Turkey. The warm weather pushing northwards through Bulgaria and Romania as well.
High pressure brings bitterly cold conditions to the Baltic States with snow for Lithuania. This snow extends west to southern Denmark. For most of the rest of Denmark and the southern half of Norway and Sweden it will be dry and cold, although some snow affects the far north of Sweden.

Sunday
Rain reaching western Portugal through today, this perhaps troubling southern Spain later too. For the rest of Iberia it should be a dry day and a warmer one as well. Snow showers may affect France where it is going to be staying cold. More cloud and snow to come across the Low Countries, Germany and Poland as well as Austria and Hungary. More snow to sleet through Switzerland.
To there south a mix of sunshine and showers are expected across Italy, with these heavy showers reaching Greece as well. The heavy showers passing into the west of Turkey and turning wintry as they reach Bulgaria and Romania.
Further north it should be fair and cold through the Baltic States as well as Finland. More cloud and some snow showers for northern parts of Norway and Sweden. To the south it will be cold and mainly dry.