Issued: 0530hrs Tuesday 23rd December 2014
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling

Becoming fine through the southern half of Europe, rain and wind to north

Tuesday
Strong west to south westerly winds will be blowing across northern and eastern parts of Europe and generally a bit milder. An area of rain is expected from Britain eastward across the Low Countries into northern parts of Germany, Poland, Belarus and The Ukraine.
Heavy snow is forecast across Russia. Cold but dry across Finland, Sweden and most of Finland although heavy snow showers will run east into western Norway. High pressure will give a good deal of dry settled weather from Portugal into Spain, France, Italy, The Adriatic Region the Balkans into Greece and Turkey.

Christmas Eve
Fair and sunny across Portugal and Spain on Christmas Eve. It will be dry and warm as well as sunny in the Balearics and Italy. Greece should be dry and sunny too, and it should be remaining that way across Turkey.
Fair across southern France and Switzerland as well as Austria and Hungary. Cloud and showery rain for northern France as well as across the Low Countries and northern Germany and Poland. Windy here too with gales in Germany and Poland too.
Fair for southern parts of the UK and Ireland. Cloud and rain with strong winds in Denmark. Further cloud and heavy rain in the Baltic States. The risk of snow for Finland, some heavy. Snow showers across cnetral and southern Sweden, cool but mainly dry for Norway.