High pressure will remain firmly in charge of the UK’s weather this weekend, bringing plenty of dry conditions but also trapping areas of cloud, mist and fog.
For many, Saturday is likely to be rather grey and chilly, with some drizzle in places. However, there are signs that the cloud could break more readily as the weekend progresses, offering a better chance of seeing some blue sky and sunshine by Sunday afternoon.
Why is it staying so cloudy?
A large area of high pressure will dominate the UK throughout the weekend. With widely spaced isobars across the country, winds will generally be light, meaning there is little to move the existing weather patterns along.
Although high pressure is often associated with clear skies and sunshine, that isn’t always the case during autumn and winter. Moisture can become trapped close to the surface beneath the high pressure, resulting in extensive low cloud, mist and fog.
At this time of year, the combination of long nights, relatively weak sunshine and light winds also means any mist, fog and low cloud can be slow to clear during the day.
There will be an area of low pressure to the southwest, but this will remain well away from the UK, instead bringing wetter and windier conditions towards Spain and Portugal.
A misty and murky start to Saturday
Saturday morning is expected to begin on a largely grey note, with areas of mist, murk and some fog patches. There will also be a little light rain or drizzle in places, with some showers possible across Northern Ireland, northern England and perhaps close to the south coast.
Western Scotland looks likely to have one of the better chances of some brighter or sunnier weather. Eastern Scotland, meanwhile, will retain more of a breeze coming in from the North Sea, maintaining cloudy conditions and bringing a few light, drizzly showers over the hills.
Elsewhere, much of the UK will simply remain dry and cloudy.
Temperatures will depend quite heavily on whether the cloud breaks. Where some sunshine develops, temperatures could respond relatively quickly. Under persistent cloud, however, highs of only around 9°C to 11°C are expected, close to or a little below average for the time of year. Some southern locations could be a few degrees below average.
Staying largely dry for Saturday evening
For those heading out to fireworks displays on Saturday evening, conditions should remain largely dry.
There could still be a little drizzle, particularly over hills, but widespread rain is not expected to cause too many problems. The extensive cloud cover should also prevent temperatures from falling especially quickly after dark.
Winds will remain light through Saturday night, allowing mist, murk and fog to develop or persist in places into Sunday morning.
More chance of brightness on Sunday
Sunday is likely to begin in a similar fashion, with plenty of cloud and areas of mist and fog. Some of the fog could be stubborn and take a while to clear, particularly with winds remaining light.
However, there is a little more optimism for the second half of the day. More breaks could begin to appear in the cloud during Sunday afternoon, providing a greater chance of blue skies and some spells of sunshine.
It will remain generally dry, aside from a little light rain or drizzle in places.
Temperatures will continue to struggle, though, with some areas potentially remaining in single figures throughout the day. After what has been a relatively mild autumn so far, this is likely to make the weekend feel noticeably cooler.
Towards the end of Sunday, the breeze may begin to strengthen a little in the southwest. This could be the first indication of a change in the weather pattern heading into next week, but for this weekend the broad message remains the same: often cloudy, mostly dry and rather chilly, with the best chance of some brighter weather arriving during Sunday afternoon.
