Macclesfield (Cheshire East) weather

Headline:

Early sunshine on Saturday. Rain and snow arriving overnight.

Today:

Cold and frosty to start the weekend but also with blue sky to begin. Sunshine turning hazy during the morning and then becoming increasingly overcast in the afternoon as cloud builds, though staying dry with light winds by day. Maximum temperature 6 °C.

Tonight:

Coastal gales developing as a band of rain and snow sweeps across the region overnight. Snow accumulations mostly over hills but small temporary amounts possible at low levels. Chilly. Minimum temperature 0 °C.

Sunday:

Rain and snow clearing during Sunday morning. A few brighter spells emerging behind but mixed with blustery showers, which could be heavy and perhaps locally thundery. Milder than Saturday. Maximum temperature 8 °C.

Outlook for Monday to Wednesday:

Variable cloud and bright spells on Monday with occasional showers, locally heavy. Drier on Tuesday and possibly also Wednesday, though rain may arrive later. Turning colder again.

Showers or longer spells of rain as well as occasional strong winds are most likely as Atlantic low pressure systems dominate in the vicinity of the UK. Some heavy rain is likely in places, with some snow at times in the north, mainly on high ground. Temperatures varying from around average to cold at times, especially in the north. While unsettled weather is likely to dominate, there will be some drier interludes between weather systems. Later in the period, there is a chance that more prolonged drier and settled conditions may begin to develop.

Low confidence in the dominant weather patterns during this period. There are signals for both unsettled conditions, bringing a risk of some heavy rain, but also periods of drier, more settled weather, which may mean colder conditions. The latter, more settled pattern is looking slightly more probable at this stage, especially early in this period.