Sudden (Greater Manchester) weather

Headline:

Cold Friday before Storm Bert arrives this weekend.

This Evening and Tonight:

Wintry showers becoming more frequent through Thursday evening and overnight, bringing the risk of icy stretches on untreated surfaces. Cold, though frost slightly patchier than recent nights and mostly in the north. Rather breezy. Minimum temperature -2 °C.

Friday:

Wintry showers mostly across southern counties, gradually fading during the afternoon with winds also easing. Staying drier for Cumbria with sunny spells. Another cold day. Maximum temperature 5 °C.

Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

Wet and windy on Saturday as Storm Bert brings heavy persistent rain, and snow over the hills. Rain clearing through Sunday with showers and brighter spells on Monday. Noticeably milder.

An unsettled start, with rain or showers in places, and perhaps also some strong winds for a time. Temperatures back towards average for most places, but still mild in the southeast. High pressure is likely to build for a time, particularly across northern areas, bringing an increased risk of some fog and frost. However, this is likely to migrate eastwards during the second half of next week, potentially allowing some outbreaks of rain to move into some western and perhaps southern areas. Into December, and while signals are mixed it looks most likely that high pressure may re-assert itself close to or over the UK, with temperatures generally near average, but some overnight frost is likely, and rather cold by day where any fog persists.

The start of this period looks like being largely settled, with high pressure close to if not over the UK. However. there is also a chance of more changeable weather patterns, which would see Atlantic weather systems periodically move across the country. These will bring some wetter and windier interludes with a risk of some snow, especially for hills in the north. These conditions look more likely to dominate towards the middle of December. Temperatures generally close to average through the period.