Issued: 0530hrs Saturday 19th December 2015
Duty forecaster: Garry Nicholson

Cool and dull east


Saturday
High pressure centred across central and south-eastern Europe brings settled weather to most of the continent. Southerly winds across western regions will again bring exceptionally mild temperatures to Spain, France and Britain. Southern Spain sees highs around 20 to 23C, although it will be very windy in Portugal. Rain develops in the north-west of Iberia later. A good deal of sunshine for the Mediterranean, including Italy, the Balkans and Greece. Thundery rain affects Cyprus.
Much of France will be cloudy, but very mild at 13 to 17C, locally warmer to the lee of the Pyrenees. Dry weather extends across central and eastern Europe. Temperatures around 9C in Poland, locally cooler across Hungary and Romania where low cloud and possible fog lingers. Windy for Denmark and the Netherlands. Prolonged rainfall affects western Norway. Patchy rain for southern Sweden. Cold in northern Scandinavia, but mild in the south.

Sunday
Fronts move across Portugal and western Spain, bringing outbreaks of rain. Dry and warm in south-eastern Spain. Dry with sunshine for Italy and Greece. Troughs bring showers to the eastern Mediterranean.
It remains unseasonably mild across north-western Europe, with brisk south-westerly winds continuing, although extensive cloud cover. Temperatures again 14 to 17C in France, and 12 or 13C in Germany and the Low Countries.
High pressure remains centred across south-eastern Europe, giving plenty of dry weather. However it will be rather cool and dull in countries such as the Czech Republic and Romania, highs 5 to 8C. Further heavy rain affects western Norway, and it remains windy but mild for Baltic regions. 12C in southern Sweden.