Issued: 0530hrs Saturday 23rd July 2011
Duty forecaster: John Ejdowski

Hottest across Iberia and eastern Europe

Today
Just a few showers today are expected across England while we expect an area of heavy rain and gusty winds to affect Norway into southern Sweden, Denmark and across into the far north of Poland. Lots of showers are forecast across Belgium, Holland and France, many heavy with isolated thunderstorms. The far south of France looks sunny and dry but with a strong mistral blowing. Lots of heavy showers with thunderstorms and rain are expected across The Alps into Hungry and the former Yugoslavia. Hot across Finland and Russia with heavy, thundery showers, Mainly fine and sunny across the Baltic States with showers into Belarus. Hot, dry and sunny weather will prevail across the Ukraine into Romania, Bulgaria into Turkey and Greece. Very warm to hot across Portugal and Spain with sunny skies. Fine across the Balearics as well with a risk of scattered showers developing across Italy in the afternoon.

Sunday
Mainly dry across England today with sunny spells though rain may be near North Sea coasts. Heavy rain is possible across Belgium, northern Germany, Holland, Denmark into southern parts of Sweden with plenty of heavy showers across northern Sweden, Norway, southern Germany across the Alps, northern Italy and Finland with a risk of thunderstorms. Another band of persistent rain is expected across Poland into Hungry with sunshine and heavy showers and thunderstorms across the former Yugoslavia into Romania. Heavy showers too across a hot western Russia but staying fine across the Baltic Region. Fine, warm and sunny across Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey into southern Italy and westward across into Spain and Portugal and southern France. Rain and showers will affect much of western and northern France.