Sunshine or showers for Easter?
Spring flowers in the strengthening sunshine as seen by BBC Weather Watcher, John Bradburn in Bakewell, Derbyshire.
At a glance
It may be the first long bank holiday weekend of the year, but we are still in a transition period between winter and summer.
The good news is that we will all have some reasonable spells of dry and fairly sunny weather at various stages through the weekend.
The not-so-good news is that low pressure will stay close to our shores. This means shower clouds and a few downpours are possible just about anywhere.
When Easter falls in March, the chance of snow is greater than it is at Christmas.
- Published
The trees are in bloom, fresh shoots are emerging from the ground, the evenings are getting lighter, and the clocks go forward an hour on Saturday night.
After an especially wet few months for some, you may be forgiven for hoping for some drier and more settled weather over the Easter weekend.
But first a quick reality check …it is still only March! It may be the first long bank holiday weekend of the year, but we are still in that transition period between winter and summer and the weather can lurch from one extreme to the other.
In 2013, Easter Sunday fell on the 31st March. The day began with a temperature of -12.5C at Braemar, Aberdeenshire, making it the coldest Easter on record. A few years earlier, in 2010, a snow depth of 36cm lay on the ground at Strathdearn in Invernesshire on Good Friday. This may be a good time to bring up the fact that when Easter falls in March, the chance of snow is greater than it is at Christmas.
A covering of snow in Shetland this week. A reminder that winter still has the ability to return at this time of the year. Captured by BBC Weather Watcher, Grandad Leask.
Stormy weather on the way?
Easter can be a stormy time too. In 2016, Storm Katie battered the UK as it barrelled across the country during the second half of the weekend. On Easter Monday, a wind gust of 106mph was recorded on the Isle of Wight bringing widespread disruption as around 100,000 homes lost power at times.
We’re not expecting anything like that this Easter and the good news is that we will all have some reasonable spells of dry and fairly sunny weather at various stages through the weekend. Temperatures will also be largely at, or above average for the time of the year, and it should feel pleasant when the sun is out. The average temperature for this time of the year is roughly 10 to 13 Celsius from north to south across the UK.
Despite the prospect of some dry and sunny weather over Easter, shower clouds will not be too far away. Photograph taken by BBC Weather Watcher, DiamondDay
The not-so-good news is that low pressure will stay close to our shores. This means shower clouds and a few downpours are possible just about anywhere. Due to the random way showers develop, we can’t pinpoint yet which areas will see the most. It’s currently looking likely that later on Easter Sunday, and into Monday, a larger area of rain could sweep northwards across most of the country.
This could put a dampener on some plans, but the rest of the weekend looks far from a washout at present.
Don’t forget, the BBC Weather team will keep you up to date on the latest forecast details throughout the Easter weekend.
And, just in case you were wondering, our hottest Easter was back in 1949. The mercury soared to 29.4C in London on the Saturday. It’s safe to say that record will definitely not be broken this weekend.
- Published27 March
- Published22 March
