Weather update

Here's the latest weather update from our colleagues in the Met Office. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/forecast/gctwgrhe8#?date=2022-12-14

The coldest night of the current spell so far with minimum temperatures across the region summarised below.

Spadeadam

-5.6C

Carlisle

-8.8C

Keswick

-6.1C

Shap

-10.6C

Levens Hall

-9.7C

Morecambe

-8.2C

Preston

-7.5C

Crosby

-6.3C

Rochdale

-6.3C

Rostherne

-9.2C

Nantwich

-9.3C

The cold spell still has a few days to run although there is now a definite end in sight. (Thank goodness - Jo) For the next couple of days it’s a continuation of largely sunny skies by day and clear skies overnight with daytime temperatures peaking close to zero, a little above towards the coast but locally staying below in inland areas. Further hard frosts will develop both tonight and tomorrow night with -5C to -10C the typical temperature range.

On Friday/Saturday cloud cover will start to increase which will help nudge both maximum and minimum temperatures should be up a little compared to current values. The weather should remain dry for the vast majority of the region.

The main change will take place during Sunday when a surge of much milder Atlantic air will finally break through, bringing a short period of sleet/snow/freezing rain, all of this changing to straight rain with further rainfall at times going into Monday. Winds will also pick up but by the end of Sunday we should see much milder temperatures across all of the Northwest which will help to rapidly thaw any lying snow, even at higher levels.

This more unsettled pattern looks like continuing into next week with a chance that temperatures will fall back to rather cold levels and the risk of some wintry precipitation, especially over higher ground.

The UKHSA Cold Weather Level 3 Alert has been extended to 1200 Sunday, based on the latest forecast data https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/cold-weather-alert/?tab=coldWeatherAlert&season=normal . This apart there are no current severe weather warnings in force across the Northwest.