Forecast - Sunday 17th August Polar Airmass has arrived The polar cold front, which made its way down the country yesterday, now lies just off the south coast. Behind it we have a wide swathe of open-cell convection, with scattered cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds forming as the cold airmass lies over the relatively warm sea. This sets the scene for this week. A cool northerly flow brings in showers off the Atlantic, which will develop over land throughout the day but retreat back to northern and northwestern coastal counties at night. Some good sunshine by day in between the showers, which will be well scattered, apart from Tuesday, when they will be more organised. Winds will be strong today in the north, but will moderate slightly for the rest of the week. Top temperatures will be around 14-16 °C, warmest in the south and southeast, and well into single figures at night. The overall large-scale global pattern looks like becoming increasingly progressive in the long term (the next 3 weeks), meaning that blocking highs will disappear and a more mobile phase of westerly winds will take hold. Low pressure will dominate, especially in the north, with a mix of frontal systems and clear slots in between. The better weather will generally be found the further south you go, but I think at this stage we can write off any chances of a proper prolonged settled spell until well into September. Fergal - IWO
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 08:15:24 +0000