Issued: 0530hrs Wednesday 19th April 2017
Duty forecaster: Garry Nicholson

Cold easterly winds across the continent

Wednesday
Another hot day in Portugal and south-western Spain, reaching 30C. Cooler and windy for the Biscay coasts. Plenty of sunshine for western France.
A strong easterly flow brings unusually chilly weather to central Europe. Low pressure over south-eastern Europe brings persistent heavy rain and snow to the Balkans, plus the eastern Alps. Snow is possible to low levels in the Czech Republic, Austria, plus southern parts of Poland and Germany. A few snow showers reaching Switzerland. Temperatures just 4 to 7C. A few showers for Italy and Greece, but dry around the Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean.
High pressure continues to reside across northern Europe. Dry weather extends from the Low Countries to the Baltic, with plenty of sunshine. Fronts moving in from the west bring cloud to Norway, and outbreaks of rain and mountain snow to western areas.

Thursday
High pressure remains across north-western Europe, whilst low pressure is to the south-east. Hot again for south-western Spain & Portugal, whilst northern Iberia is cooler with strong winds. Dry and sunny for the western Mediterranean. Cool with a few showers for southern Italy. Warmer for Greece , highs 17 to 20C.
Widespread snow for the mountainous regions of the Balkans, plus the Carpathians, whilst a mix of rain and snow affects low-lying areas of south-eastern Europe. Heavy rain around the western Black Sea. Snow showers for Austria. Strong easterly winds for the Alps and central-southern France. Dry weather extends across France, the Low Countries, Germany, Poland and southern Baltic. A west to south-westerly breeze influences Scandinavia, bringing briefly milder temperatures to southern areas. Fronts bring rain and snow to north & western Scandinavia.