Issued: 0530hrs Tuesday 27th February 2018
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling

Bitterly cold northern Europe, rain and milder weather to south


Tuesday
Heavy rain affects parts of central-southern Spain and Portugal, locally persistent all day. The far south-west may improve. Northern Spain stays dry, but quite cool. Showery for the western Med, and a few showers for southern Italy. Residual snow affects south-eastern Europe, but may be persistent and heavy in some areas around southern Ukraine. Local showers for Greece and Turkey, temperatures 10 to 15C around the coasts of the eastern Mediterranean.
Very cold air influences central, east & northern Europe. Temperatures widely staying below freezing by day. Easterly winds will enhance the chill. Generally dry for the Alps, much of France, Germany and the Low Countries. Belts of snow showers affect south-east Sweden, Denmark and northern Germany. A strong area of high pressure remains over Scandinavia. Frigid temperatures, staying around -15 to -20C even by day in Finland.

Wednesday
Cloud and rain across Portugal and Spain on Wednesday. More cloud in the Balearics although dry here. The risk of some cloud and drizzle in Corsica and Sardinia. Fair for Greece with sunny spells, some snow and cloud in central and northern Turkey.
Cloud and some sleet and snow in central and southern France. Northern France will be bitterly cold and mostly dry. Staying very cold in the Low Countries and northern parts of Germany. Drier in southern Germany, Austria and Hungary as well as Switzerland, but staying cold here.
A bitterly cold day through Denmark with some snow flurries. Very cold too in the Baltic States and Finland. Staying very cold across Sweden. Plenty of sunshine but staying cold in Norway too.