Dornoch Firth (Highland) weather

Headline:

Cloudy today with patchy rain in west, dry in east.

Today:

A mostly cloudy day with occasional rain across the west, this most likely across the Western Isles, Skye and Lochaber. Dry in the east with some occasional brightness. Strong southerly winds in the west, exposed coastal gales at first. Maximum temperature 14 °C.

Tonight:

A cloudy night with some patchy light rain across the the south and west but dry elsewhere. Strong south to southeasterly winds developing in the west. Minimum temperature 10 °C.

Saturday:

Outbreaks of rain will affect the west coast at times. Elsewhere cloud thinning through the morning to leave a mainly dry and somewhat brighter afternoon. Windy in the far west. Maximum temperature 16 °C.

Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:

Cloudy on Sunday with patchy rain moving northeast. Mainly dry with just a few showers on Monday and Tuesday, any rain soon clearing the north early on Monday.

The forecast period looks most likely to be mostly unsettled, with frequent bouts of wind and rain associated with areas of low pressure. Frequent showers, especially over southern areas, at first, will probably (but not definitely, at this range) give way to more widespread rain and strong winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Kirk later in the week. Scotland and Northern Ireland are more likely to quickly turn colder with showers, and the colder weather (perhaps some sleet/snow on Scottish mountains) will most likely gradually work its way south following the clearance of ex-Kirk. A more settled interlude is then possible, but further spells of wind and rain, again with a focus across southern areas, are likely to arrive from the west towards the end of the period.

A continuation of low pressure systems tracking in from the Atlantic is the most likely scenario for the rest of October. This means wet and windy weather at times, especially across England and Wales, but with a suggestion that Scotland and Northern Ireland may be more likely to see longer breaks in the weather, and more in the way of drier spells. It is possible that these drier conditions could be seen more widely later in the month as higher pressure further north extends southwards for a time. This would also bring an increased chance of overnight fog and frost. Temperatures will tend to be close to average overall in the south, but probably below average in the north and northwest.