Issued: 0530hrs Friday 18th November 2016
Duty forecaster: Garry Nicholson

Dry in south-eastern Europe

Friday
A fine and warm day for southern Spain & Portugal, temperatures 20C. Cloudy in the north & west of Iberia. Areas of thunderstorms across the central Mediterranean will affect Sicily, whilst a few showers are likely around the coasts of Italy. Plenty of sunshine for Greece and south-eastern Europe as a whole.
A cold front extends across central Europe, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to Germany, central France and the western Alps through the day, turning to snow over the mountains of Switzerland. Squally showers around the coasts of west & northern France, also the Low Countries. Cooler than recent days at 9 or 10C. Drier toward the eastern Alps, and generally dry across most eastern countries, although breezy for Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
A frontal system moves rapidly northwards across Scandinavia, bringing heavy rain and mountain snow to Sweden, whilst showers follow across Norway. Rain arrives in southern Finland by afternoon. Milder air advances into the southern Baltic region. Patchy rain for the Baltic states, and some snow for western Russia.

Saturday
A ridge of high pressure across Iberia and southern France brings another fine and warm day to the south of Spain and Portugal. Cloud will thicken around the Biscay coast and rain will arrive from the Atlantic into the evening. Unsettled across central southern Europe with thundery rain for Italy, whilst some heavy snowfalls are likely across the Alps. Heavy rain extends north from Croatia to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. Meanwhile, Greece and the eastern Mediterranean remains dry with warm sunshine. Mild around the Black Sea at 15C.
Showery weather will affect coastal areas of northern France and the Low Countries, also Denmark. Northern Germany will be mainly dry with sunny spells, whilst southern areas will be cloudy with some rain. A brisk south-westerly breeze across the Baltic brings mild and fairly cloudy conditions to eastern Scandinavia. Norway will be cooler with wintry showers around western coasts. A strong area of high pressure is building over Russia, whilst some snow and rain affects western parts of the country.