Issued: 0530hrs Friday 2nd January 2015
Duty forecaster: Garry Nicholson

More snow developing for the Alps


Friday
A fair day for Spain and Portugal with plenty of sunshine. Bright skies for southern France, although a band of cloud and rain spread south across central France. Becoming brighter in the north, with rain slowly clearing from Belgium and the Netherlands as a cold front moves south-east. This front is associated with low pressure over Scandinavia, and also spreads south across Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, with some snow over higher areas. Later in the day rain and snow arrives across the Swiss and Austrian Alps. Windy in northern Germany and Denmark, and feeling cool. Gales in the Baltic region, with frequent showers in Sweden and Norway. A period of persistent rain and snow affects northern Sweden and spreads into southern Finland and the Baltic states. Dry and sunny in Italy and the Balkan states. Thundery pulses of rain in the eastern Mediterranean, although much of mainland Greece and Turkey will remain dry.

Saturday
Staying dry with sunshine for Spain and Portugal. Fair too across the western and central Mediterranean, with sunshine for Italy, the Adriatic region and Greece. Thundery showers continue to affect Cyprus and southern Turkey. Southern France is dry, but rain will affect northern France as another frontal system spreads from the west, extending into Belgium and Germany. Rain and snow moves into the Alpine region later on Saturday, with a further fall of heavy snow on the way for Switzerland, Austria and the German Alps. Snow also arrives in the Czech Republic. Showery for northern Germany, Poland and Denmark, feeling cool in a north-westerly breeze. Windy and cold across Scandinavia, with frequent snow showers in north-west Norway, although Sweden will be largely dry. Snow showers too for Finland.