Britons should brace for wet and blustery weather this weekend as heavy rain creeps southwards.
Strong showers across Northern Ireland and Scotland on Friday will descend further south throughout the day, casting across northern England and leaving behind colder, brighter spells, forecasters predicted.
Meanwhile, conditions in the north will be wet and windy. “Mainly dry but cloudy elsewhere, although with some warm sunny spells,” the Met Office said.
Saturday will see overcast conditions for most, with brief, light showers in the south west of England.
“Otherwise mainly dry with bright or sunny spells, although windy in the far north with further showers,” the Met office added.
The coldest temperatures over the weekend are expected to be felt in Powys, Wales, where thermometers will plummet to just 1C overnight on Saturday.
The outlook for Sunday into Monday remains much the same with “frequent blustery showers” in Scotland, but otherwise generally settled and dry.
The Scottish Highlands could see a blanket of fresh snow as heavy showers combine with freezing temperatures, the Met Office said.
Of the start of next week, the forecaster said: “Partly cloudy skies are probable with warm sunny spells by day, but overnight frost and fog is possible.”
Moving further into the week, meteorologists are expecting a period of high pressure to dominate weather conditions “bringing largely settled weather with bright or sunny spells”.
Daytime temperatures, meanwhile, could inch higher as the week goes on – with a longer-term forecast currently predicting “very high” temps in some parts in the week until 4 April.
The Met Office added: “Weak fronts may bring more cloud and some rain to the far north where it will remain breezier.”