Wales Feed

Sunny spells and super moons!

2015-09-28T15:43:30+00:00

We enjoyed some beautiful weather over the weekend! On Saturday St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan was the sunniest place in the UK with 11 hours of wonderful sunshine, perfect for a brisk walk in the Brecon Beacons, with wonderful views to boot.

The weather was crisp with a fairly clear sky last night, so thankfully a lot of people saw the rare supermoon lunar eclipse and took some incredible photos. If you missed it, you'll have to wait another 18 years, until 2033, for the next one!

This external content is available at its source: Jim Saunders - Twitter Image

The dry, settled spell looks set to continue into the start of October thanks to high pressure. Cloud cover will be the main uncertainty and will vary from one day to the next, but this week will bring further sunny spells. The nights will continue to be chilly with a few mist and fog patches forming and some ground frost in the countryside.

During the spring and autumn when the sky is clear the temperature can rise and fall sharply. Capel Curig in Snowdonia dropped to 3°C on Sunday but on Monday afternoon the thermometer soared to 17°C. Luckily while we’re looking ahead, the weekend should be dry, but next week will probably bring a change with low pressure over the Atlantic bringing some more autumnal weather, including some wind and rain.

Is the fair weather set to stay?

2015-06-08T15:52:32+00:00

June got off to a poor start with low pressure bringing heavy rain and gale force winds. Thankfully, the weather has now improved although flaming June has yet to arrive; the sun is strong but temperatures could be better for early summer. In Bala, the temperature dropped close to freezing around 4am this morning with a touch of frost!

Over the next few days, the weather will remain fair and settled thanks to a large area of high pressure or anti-cyclone, although one or two showers are possible later this evening and into the night, mainly in south and east Wales. The nights will be cool, especially in the countryside but during the day it will feel pleasantly warm with a mixture of sunshine and patchy cloud.

Forecast chart Tuesday 9 June

Temperatures tonight will drop as low as 3 or 4 Celsius in places inland with a rural grass frost possible. Highs for Tuesday will be around 17 Celsius in parts of the south and west with a north to north-easterly breeze; the north and west coast a few degrees cooler with a breeze off the sea.

The forecast becomes more uncertain later this week but there are signs that the dry weather may break down. There is a risk of some heavy and possibly thundery rain and showers spreading northwards later on Thursday, overnight into Friday, with low pressure over the Bay of Biscay.

Forecast chart Thursday 11 June

Don't go out without your coat

2015-04-30T13:54:16+00:00

Last week we enjoyed a taste of summer but this week it has felt more like winter again with winds from the Arctic bringing a big drop in temperature, some frost and even a light covering of snow on some hills and mountains including the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia.

The weather recently has been typical of April with blue sky and sunshine, towering cumulus clouds and showers; the showers have been heavy in places with hail, thunder and even the odd rainbow! But overall this April has been a dry and sunny month with rainfall well below average - see the Met Office Blog

It was exceptionally cold on Sunday night into Monday morning, with temperatures dropping to minus 6° Celsius at Tirabad near Llanwrtyd in Powys.

Looking ahead, Thursday night will be dry with some high cloud, though it will be quite cold with some ground frost inland in mid and north Wales.

The new month will get off to a dry and bright start on Friday with some hazy sunshine but cloud will increase in the south with the odd spot of rain possible over the Bristol Channel. Temperatures will rise to between 10° and 14° Celsius with an east to south-easterly breeze.

Friday night should be dry with increasing cloud. It will be breezy on the south and west coast with lowest temperatures ranging from 4° Celsius in the north and 6 to 8° Celsius on the south coast.

Saturday will be a breezy, windy day. At the moment some dry weather looks likely and it will be bright in the north. However, rain will spread from the south later in the afternoon and evening although it is difficult to predict the timing of its arrival. Top temperatures will be around 10 to 13°Celsius with a fresh to strong east to south-easterly wind; gusts of around 40mph are likely on exposed parts of the south and west coast.

On Sunday more rain and showers (heavy in places) are forecast and low cloud may develop around the south and west coastal areas with some sea fog likely. However, it may become drier and brighten-up from the west later in the day, with some evening sunshine likely in Pembrokeshire. Temperatures on Sunday should rise a little higher reaching 12 to 16° Celsius with a moderate to fresh south-westerly breeze.

Bank holiday Monday should be a better day - it will be drier and brighter with some sunshine although there is a possibility of a few sharp showers. Highest temperatures will be around the seasonal average in the range of 12 to 16° Celsius with a south-westerly breeze.

So very mixed weather is forecast for the bank holiday weekend with low pressure bringing some rain, showers and stronger winds. It shouldn’t however be a total write-off, as it will include some dry, bright weather and a few sunny spells on Monday.

Is there really a three month heatwave on the way?

2015-04-13T14:47:53+00:00

As expected it turned much cooler over the weekend and snow returned to the Snowdonia mountains.

This external content is available at its source: Evening in Snowdonia by Richard Bale

While yesterday brought strong to gale force winds with a gust of 76mph recorded near Capel Curig in Snowdonia.

This external content is available at its source: Map showing wind speeds in Wales

It just goes to show how fickle the weather can be during the spring months. It can be warm and sunny one day and freezing cold the next!

You may have read in the newspapers that there's a three month heatwave on the way? Well, I wish I could forecast that far ahead with so much certainty! It is going to get warmer over the next couple of days, especially in the south and east with little, if any rain expected this week. But not everywhere will be warm and sunny - at this time of year the sea is still quite cold, around 9°C, and some coastal areas will be grey, misty and cool with patches of sea fog.

Rhos on Sea by Derren Jones

It looks like Wednesday will be the warmest day of the week with temperatures in south-east Wales rising to around 21°C in Monmouth but north-west Wales will be much cooler and cloudier with a high of around 11°C in Caernarfon.

On Wednesday night and into Thursday, a weak cold front will move south across the UK. It won't bring much, if any rain but it will introduce clearer and cooler air. So Thursday will be dry with plenty of cloud but it should be bright in parts of the north and west. Friday will be drier and sunnier. Temperatures on Friday will reach 13 to 15°C with a light to moderate east or north-easterly breeze.

Weather chart for Thursday 16 April

At the moment, the weekend looks fine and dry with plenty of sunshine thanks to high pressure. It will feel pleasantly warm in the sunshine but the nights will turn chilly with a risk of frost in the countryside and rural areas - a reminder that it is still only April.

Will we have 'eggcellent' weather this Easter weekend?

2015-04-02T14:30:00+00:00

Llwyn-On Reservoir by Paula J James from the BBC Wales Flickr group

It hasn’t felt much like spring recently with rain and strong winds making it feel chilly, although St Athan clocked up over six hours of sunshine yesterday. Thursday is not so nice again with grey and damp conditions but at least the wind is much lighter and the weather is set to improve over the Easter weekend, although I can’t promise wall-to-wall sunshine.

On Thursday night a trough of low pressure will move east, bringing further outbreaks of rain. Some of this rain will be heavy, with 10 to 20mm in parts of the south and west. There will be widespread low cloud, mist and hill fog. Lowest temperatures will be in the range of 5 to 8°C with a south to south-westerly breeze.

On Good Friday, the rain will clear to showers but these will turn lighter with drier weather expected in the afternoon. It will stay fairly cloudy with some hill fog, though possibly brightening up a little in the south. Temperatures will reach highs of 9 to 12°C with a brisk north-westerly breeze developing.

Over the Easter weekend, high pressure over the Atlantic Ocean will move towards us and will be centred over Ireland by the time we get to Sunday.

Met Office forecast chart, 5 April 2015

This high pressure will bring plenty of dry, settled weather for a change but unfortunately high pressure doesn’t always guarantee sunshine! Cloud amounts are uncertain, though there will possibly be a little sunshine at times. The lighter winds will make it feel milder and more pleasant than recently, especially if the sun breaks through. Temperatures will rise into the low to mid-teens.

If you’re suffering from hay fever at the moment, tree pollen maybe to blame!

March weather in Wales was drier and sunnier than average, with plenty more dry weather to come in the next week, thanks to the arrival of high pressure. We will see some sunshine too and it should become warmer, though overnight the weather will turn chilly with a risk of a ground frost under any clear skies.

As the clocks go forward the weather takes a turn for the worse

2015-03-27T15:21:09+00:00

The clocks go forward this weekend marking the start of British Summer Time but unfortunately the weather is about to take a turn for the worse! A strong jet stream over the Atlantic and low pressure will bring spells of heavy rain with strong to gale force winds.

Incoming rain at Church Stoke at sunset by Ros Baylis from the BBC Wales Flickr group

Friday evening will start dry but overnight a warm front will bring a little rain and drizzle. The cloud will lower with mist and fog patches. The wind will pick up after midnight and it will turn milder. Temperatures will reach 8-10°C by the end of the night with a south-westerly breeze.

Saturday may start dry apart from a little drizzle but a cold front will move south-east during the morning bringing a short spell of heavy rain with strong and gusty winds. The rain will be followed by a drier and brighter afternoon with a little sunshine and showers later. Temperatures will rise higher than recently reaching 11-13°C and up to 15°C in Flintshire. It will remain breezy into the evening with showers and some dry weather.

Met Office forecast chart for Saturday 28 March

On Saturday night and into Sunday more rain will spread across the country with strengthening winds. Sunday will start very wet and windy with heavy rain and gale force winds. The rain should clear later in the morning leaving a drier and brighter afternoon but still with showers. Temperatures will be around 10-12°C but it will feel cooler in the blustery wind.

Next week, there's more wind and rain on the way on Monday. It will turn colder on Tuesday and Wednesday but drier and brighter with a mixture of sunshine and showers. You may have read we may be in for a heatwave over Easter weekend but there's no sign of one. At the moment it looks rather cool with a few showers but there is a hint of high pressure which may bring some longer dry spells, some sunshine and lighter winds.

Spectacular solar eclipse

2015-03-20T16:41:07+00:00

Much of Wales had a good view of the partial solar eclipse this morning with clear skies.

This external content is available at its source: Solar eclipse by Daniel McNulty

This external content is available at its source: Solar eclipse from @LoveTywyn

This external content is available at its source: Set of images of solar eclipse from @welshrob87

If you missed it, the next partial eclipse of the sun will be in 2026 and the next total solar eclipse in the UK will not be until 2090! Today is also the spring equinox which occurs at 10.45pm in the UK but remember - the clocks don't go forward until next weekend on Sunday 29 March.

The equinox refers to the moment that the sun crosses directly overhead at the earth's equator and some people consider this to be the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. The word equinox derives from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night) and means equal day and night. In reality, however the day is slightly longer than the night at an equinox, as the sun is not a single point of light, but appears as a disc. So when the centre of the sun is still below the horizon, the upper limb is already visible and emits light. Also, the atmosphere refracts light downwards, so even when the upper limb of the sun is still below the horizon, its rays already reach around the horizon to the ground. This combination makes the day slightly longer than the night.

In Wales, day and night were almost equal on March 18th before the Spring Equinox.

At the North Pole, polar bears will be celebrating the first appearance of the sun in six months but at the South Pole the penguins will be preparing for six months of darkness!

Mid and south Wales enjoyed the best of the sunshine today with temperatures rising as high as 14° Celsius in parts of Powys and Monmouthshire. Tonight there will be plenty of cloud with a few spots of light rain and drizzle and a few mist and fog patches in the west. Temperatures will generally stay above freezing but in mid Wales a touch of frost is possible by the end of the night.

Tomorrow parts of the south and west will start off cloudy with the odd spot of light rain or drizzle first thing but it will get drier and will brighten up with sunny spells. However, parts of the east and south east may be cloudy well into the afternoon. It will feel cooler and fresher than today, with top temperatures between 8 and 11° Celsius with a north to north-easterly breeze. The highest temperatures will be in the south and west, with highs of 11 or 12° Celsius.

Tomorrow night will be dry, turning cold with a widespread ground frost and some air frost in the countryside. Sunday will be dry and settled with most of the country enjoying plenty of sunshine although the south and east may be cloudy for a time. Temperatures will reach 7 to 10° Celsius with light winds.

Next week will bring a change - it will turn colder on Tuesday with showers. Some of the showers will be heavy with a risk of hail and thunder. It could be wintry on high ground with a little snow on the hills and mountains.

Welsh rugby fans have enjoyed a beautiful, sunny spring day in Rome today. Tomorrow will be much cloudier but the Rome weather should stay dry with a high of 15° Celsius and a light breeze. Good luck to Wales!

Finally, with the new moon today, large tides and a five-star Severn Bore are expected over the weekend.

Will there be clear skies for the solar eclipse?

2015-03-16T16:14:26+00:00

Monday is another chilly day with some rain and showers, even a little snow on high ground. Temperatures are only 5-8°C with a light breeze from the east or north-east. However, the grey, chilly spell we've had for the last few days is on its last legs and a change is expected tomorrow. High pressure will continue to dominate our weather this week bringing plenty of dry, settled weather and it will become warmer for a while.

On Monday night there will some patchy rain and showers but otherwise it will be dry and where the cloud breaks the temperature will fall low enough for a ground frost.

Tuesday promises to be a better day. Most of Wales will be dry although a few showers are possible in the north-east. The cloud should break up allowing more in the way of sunshine. Temperatures will rise a little, higher than Monday and reaching 7-10°C in the afternoon with a light breeze.

Tuesday night will be dry and will turn quite cold with a fairly widespread ground frost and even an air frost in some rural spots with temperatures falling as low as -1°C. A few mist and fog patches will form as well.

Met Office forecast chart for Wednesday 18 March 2015

Wednesday will be fine and settled with high pressure centred over the Irish Sea close to Anglesey.

A good deal of sunshine is likely on Wednesday once any morning mist and fog patches lift and it will turn out pleasantly mild. Top temperatures will reach 9-13°C and with light and variable winds it will feel like spring.

Thursday will be another dry day thanks to high pressure with some sunshine, although central and eastern Wales may start grey with some low cloud. Highs will reach between 9 and 12°C with light winds again.

January 2011 solar eclipse by Kev Lewis from the BBC Wales Flickr group

On Friday a solar eclipse will take place but currently conditions do not look ideal for those keen to observe it. At the moment, it looks like there will be a fair amount of cloud with a little rain and a few showers spreading from the north-west. The best chance of gaps in the cloud on Friday morning are towards the south and south-east of Wales but there is some uncertainty, so stay tuned for updates to the forecast over the next few days.

Quiet weather due to high pressure

2015-02-09T15:57:43+00:00

The weather at the moment is quiet and settled thanks to high pressure. The main headache for forecasters this week will be predicting cloud amounts and the implications this will have on sunshine and temperatures and whether there is fog and frost.

Under high pressure the air sinks and warms and this can create a temperature inversion.

Normally temperature falls with height but with an inversion it rises so that the top of a hill can be much warmer than the valley below.

This has been the case recently with cloud, mist and fog trapped beneath the inversion, while above the inversion, on higher ground, it is warm and sunny.

Tenby on 9 February 2015 by Mandy Llewellyn

At night, if the sky is clear with little wind, the temperature can drop like a stone. Last night, for example, the temperature in Tredegar fell as low as -1°C with a frost, but this afternoon the temperature soared to over 11°C with plenty of sunshine, making it feel like spring.

There's more dry weather to come over the next few days but on Friday low pressure may bring some rain, although this is by no means definite yet.

Weather chart Tuesday 10 February 2015

Warnings in force for snow and ice

2015-01-30T16:56:32+00:00

It’s going to turn colder again over the weekend with a new influx of Arctic air spreading southwards.

Warnings are in force for snow and ice. Strong to gale force winds are expected as well with gusts over 60mph on the west coast.

Tonight will see some dry, clear weather but showers will become more widespread after midnight. Some of the showers will be heavy with sleet and snow in places. Snow is likely to settle mainly above 200m.

Strong to gale force winds will affect the west coast. The lowest temperatures inland will be around freezing with icy patches on untreated roads.

The jet stream tomorrow will lie to the west and south of the UK with much of Europe in cold air.

Weather map 30 January 2015

Tomorrow will bring some dry weather and sunshine but showers as well. The showers will be heavy in places with hail and sleet and snow on higher ground. It will be colder than today and windier too. Top temperatures will be 3 to 6° Celsius, with gales on the north and west coast as well as the hills and mountains making it feel bitterly cold.

Tomorrow night will be windy with further showers. There’s a warning of snow in parts of the north. Most of the snow will fall on higher ground. By the end of the night most of the country should be dry with icy patches.

Sunday will be a cold day but with some sunshine. Most of the showers will be in the west and south west and falling as hail, sleet or snow. The strong winds will slowly ease during the day with highs of 2 to 5 Celsius.

Next week it’s staying cold with a few wintry showers. There will be snow in places as well as frost and ice. During the second week of February it may turn a bit milder with Atlantic winds bringing higher temperatures.

Snow warning

2015-01-28T17:05:14+00:00

Cold air from Greenland has arrived in Wales and it’s going to stay cold over the next few days, with Arctic winds bringing a mixture of sunshine and wintry showers.

There is a Met Office warning in force for snow in some parts of Wales in the next 24 hours. It's a yellow warning which is the lowest warning level and means ‘be aware’.

The warning covers parts of north and mid Wales, the Valleys, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. The snow will come in the form of showers which means it will be hit and miss - a few centimetres of snow is likely in places (along with a risk of disruption to travel), while some places will only have a dusting or even no snow at all.

The wind will make it feel bitterly cold with blizzard conditions at times on high ground and mountains. The highest wind gust of today hit a speed of 81mph (recorded this morning at Capel Curig in Snowdonia).

Mountain Snow by Lyn Adams from Llanfair P.G.

Tomorrow night will bring further showers or longer spells of rain, sleet and snow in some areas. On Friday it will remain windy but be slightly less cold with showers which will be mostly rain, hail or sleet. Snow at this time will be confined to higher ground above 200 or 300 metres.

The weekend will bring a mixture of sunshine and wintry showers, with Sunday colder in particular – there is a warning of snow for anywhere in south and west Wales over an area from Anglesey to the Vale of Glamorgan. The cold spell looks set to continue well into next week with snow in places along with frost and ice.

The coldest spell for two years: How long will it last?

2015-01-22T15:46:25+00:00

The recent cold spell is the coldest we've had for about two years! Last Sunday night into Monday the temperature in Tirabad in Powys dropped to almost -8°C.

There's been some snow too, most of it on high ground. Last night about 10cm (4") of fresh snow fell on the Berwyn Mountains in Denbighshire.

Snow was forecast for some other parts of Wales on Tuesday night and on Wednesday. But in Blaenau Gwent mostly rain fell due to a slight rise in temperature in the area. Snow is the hardest thing to predict and a small change in temperature can make all the difference between rain and snow.

Corn Du covered in snow by Colin Harvey

Looking ahead, the cold spell is on its last legs with a change on the way tomorrow. However, a widespread frost is expected tonight with lowest temperatures typically around -3°C. Where there is any lying snow, the temperature could fall as low as -7°C with a few freezing fog patches. The coast will be less cold with St Davids and Holyhead staying above freezing.

Friday will start dry with some sunshine but rain will reach Anglesey before midday and then spread south-east across the rest of the country during the afternoon with most of the rain in the south and west. The wind will pick up and it will turn milder with temperatures rising to between 5 and 10°C. During the night the rain will clear and it will turn colder again with a slight frost inland.

Saturday will be the best day of the weekend. There may be the odd shower in the north first thing, otherwise it will be dry, bright and breezy with sunshine and good visibility. Top temperatures will reach 5 to 7°C with a north-westerly breeze.

Saturday night will be dry with a slight frost inland. On Sunday cloud will increase, bringing spots of rain and drizzle. The north-east and the Marches will be drier. It will turn milder again on Sunday with a south-westerly breeze with highs reaching between 8 and 10°C.

Next week will bring changeable weather; rain on Monday will clear and it will turn colder again. Tuesday should be dry and chilly. From mid-week onwards it looks much more unsettled, with spells of rain and a risk of severe gales. Temperatures will vary with a risk of snow in the north, especially on high ground and there is a possibility it may turn colder by next weekend with winds from the Arctic.

January sees changeable weather ahead

2015-01-05T15:53:04+00:00

Last year every month apart from August was warmer than average and in the UK it looks like 2014 was the warmest on record.

John Goodger who runs a weather station at Velindre near Glasbury in Powys recorded a mean temperature of 10.7° Celsius in 2014, the highest since he began keeping records 43 years ago! The previous record was 10.6° Celsius in 2006.

Meanwhile, Neville Dunn from Mynydd Isa in Flintshire only recorded 13 air frosts in 2014, the lowest in 40 years but his warmest year was 2007 with a mean temperature of 11.3° Celsius, over a degree warmer than 2014.

Looking ahead, the weather this week is going to be very changeable indeed with some rain and sunshine. A strong jet stream will propagate across the Atlantic during the second half of the week. Deep areas of low pressure will pass close to Scotland bringing more unsettled conditions with stronger winds and gales. Temperatures will vary from near normal to mild with little if any frost expected.

There is no sign yet of any cold and snowy weather heading our way but during the second half of the month the North Atlantic Oscillation index which is currently positive is forecast to drop lower. This would suggest a weaker jet stream with a greater chance of blocking and colder weather, but there are other factors to consider too such as sudden stratospheric warming which can lead to cold spells in the UK. See also John Hammond's feature on BBC Weather.

Mynydd yr Hendre near Carno in Powys by Mike Blood

Forecasting what is going to happen beyond the next five to ten days is a challenge but for those hoping for snow there is still plenty of winter left yet and remember March 2013? It was the coldest for over 50 years.

Milder weather for the beginning of 2015

2014-12-30T17:50:37+00:00

I hope you had a good Christmas - it wasn’t a white one for much of Wales but low pressure did bring some snow to parts of mid and north Wales on Boxing Day.

Snow in Mold by Claire Farmer

We’ve had some very cold nights recently. At Pembrey on the Carmarthenshire coast the temperature dropped to minus 6.7°Celsius yesterday – this was the lowest temperature recorded anywhere in Wales so far this year and the lowest temperature in Pembrey since February 2012!

Usk in Monmouthshire was one of the coldest places in Wales last night with temperatures falling below minus 5 ° Celsius but it wasn’t frosty everywhere - Anglesey stayed well above freezing point with a breeze coming off the sea.

Ice crystals and frost by Gail Jolly from Tongwynlais

The high pressure responsible for the recent dry, settled spell is now moving away and the weather is on the change. Tonight will be less cold while tomorrow will be a much cloudier, milder and breezier day with some patchy rain and drizzle on New Year’s Eve night - especially in the north-west.

New Year’s Day will be mild and windy with temperatures reaching 12 or 13° Celsius. Spots of drizzle are likely but parts of mid and north Wales should be dry and bright for a time. However rain will spread from the north-west during the afternoon and evening – some of this rain will be heavy with gales.

Forecast chart

On Friday the weather will improve with early rain clearing leading to some sunshine and a few scattered showers; it will be breezy and turning cooler.

Changeable weather is expected over the weekend with a mixture of sunshine and showers. There will be another spell of wind and rain on Saturday.

Next week looks unsettled with spells of mild, wet and windy weather, contrasted with clear, chilly and brighter conditions, with showers in-between.

No White Christmas this year

2014-12-22T16:21:59+00:00

Snowfall in Llandrindod Wells by Sian Riley

Parts of Powys woke up to a white Christmas last year.

But the only snow we’ll see on Thursday morning will be on your Christmas cards although a few snow showers are possible on Snowdon!

This external content is available at its source: White Christmas in Powys

Full weather forecast

In the meantime, the next 36 hours will continue mild and windy with some rain and drizzle at times. The heaviest rain will be in the north-west on the Snowdonia Mountains with a yellow warning in force.

Heavy rain tomorrow night will clear and Christmas Eve will be a much drier, clearer and colder day with sunshine and a few showers in the north. Top temperatures will be around 7 to 9° Celsius and it will be breezy with a brisk west to northwest-westerly wind.

On Christmas Day much of the country will be dry, bright and crisp with any showers in the north dying away. The wind will ease with temperatures rising to between 6 and 8° Celsius.

Christmas night will be fine and cold with light winds. A widespread frost is likely together with a few mist and freezing fog patches.

Boxing Day will start dry and cold but the wind will increase with rain spreading from the west during the afternoon and evening. Temperatures will recover reaching 5 to 9° Celsius with a freshening southerly wind.

The forecast into next weekend is more uncertain, depending on the depth and track of an area of a developing low pressure. However, there is a risk of some travel disruption by Saturday with a spell of heavy rain and gales followed by clearer, colder conditions and wintry showers.