Issued: 0530hrs Wednesday 20th January 2010
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling
Bitterly cold through northern areas, rain in the southeast
Wednesday
Fair through most of Spain and Portugal today with good periods of sunshine. Thicker cloud and some showers affecting northern coasts of Spain, some of these heavy at times. A few showers for the west of France, an odd one heavy with northern and eastern areas being cloud and damp with some rain. The Low Countries will have showers, some heavy later. A cold day across Germany and Poland, some snow showers here later. Rather foggy through Austria and Hungary, although this clearing slowly. Cloud and some rain through Switzerland.
Low pressure brings some heavy showers or rain to the northwest of Italy, with most of the country being fair with sunny spells after morning mist clears. Plenty of fair weather through Greece with lots of sunshine here. Some snow for northern and central parts of Turkey, whilst the south should be dry with sunny spells. Bulgaria and Romania will have sunny spells and a few showers.
To the north It will be windy and bitterly cold through the Baltic States with wintry showers here. More cold weather across Finland with some snow flurries here. The snow flurries affecting the southern half of Sweden too. Denmark and Norway stay cold but mainly dry.
Thursday
A fair day across Spain and Portugal with plenty of sunshine throughout the day. More sunshine to come through France with some mist or fog patches at first in the south. A few spots of rain and sleet through the Low Countries. Snow affects Germany and Poland, most of it only light. The snow showers affecting Hungary, but Austria and Switzerland will be dry with sunny spells.
Low pressure over southern Italy will be bringing some heavy rain through central and southern areas, but the far north will be dry with sunny spells, although cold. More rain moving into the west of Greece, but the east should be dry with sunny spells. Sunny spells too through Crete and Cyprus as well as most of Turkey. High pressure brings fair weather through most of Bulgaria and Romania.
A bitterly cold day again through the Baltic States and Finland with the risk of a snow flurry. More persistent snow through central and southern Sweden as well as Denmark. Norway will be cold with some snow showers in the south, but fair to the north.