Issued: 0530hrs Monday 24th September 2018
Duty forecaster: Garry Nicholson

Dry for many countries, rain clears eastwards

Monday
High pressure lies across north-western Europe, whilst low pressure moves across eastern countries. Very warm in the south, but fresh for central-northern Europe. Temperatures into the mid-high 30s for central & south-western Spain, and nudging 40C in Portugal. Much cooler on the Biscay coast, 20C or below. 25C in southern France, but only 13 to 16C for Germany and the Low Countries.
Very windy for the Alps and northern Italy, with a Mistral wind for southern France. Generally dry and sunny for the Mediterranean. A few showers for Italy and the Adriatic. Heavy rain extends from the northern Balkans across Hungary into Romania, Ukraine and Belarus, but fades through the day. Some heavy bursts passing east across Ukraine. Ahead of the rain, the Black Sea coasts will reach 30C, and similar hot temperatures for Greece .
Showery for Poland and the Baltic states with a brisk northwesterly breeze. Cool across Scandinavia, highs 7 to 10C. Dry for much of Sweden and Finland, but showery for west & northern Norway, widely falling as snow over the mountains.

Tuesday
High pressure expands across Europe, producing extensive fair weather. Hot again in south-western Spain and Portugal, 35 to 38C. Scattered showers or local thunderstorms for the central Med, focused around Sicily and Sardinia. Dry across central Europe. Warm in southern France, but fairly fresh across Low Countries and Germany, 13 to 16C at best, with some early fog patches and ground frost. Lighter winds for the Alps and northern Italy compared to Monday.
Sunshine and showers for Poland, the Baltic states and Ukraine, accompanied by a brisk and cool breeze. Temperatures dropping back to around 20C for the Black Sea coasts. Warm and dry for Greece. Breezy for the Greek Islands. Low pressure brings wind and rain to western Russia. A west to southwesterly flow across Scandinavia, with rain developing and setting in for western Norway. Dry for Sweden and Finland.