Ashton-in-Makerfield (Greater Manchester) weather

Headline:

Dry with plenty of spring sunshine today.

Today:

A chilly start this morning but with plenty of sunshine. A little cloud may build during the day but it will remain dry throughout. Feeling a little fresher than Monday. Maximum temperature 12 °C.

Tonight:

A dry and clear evening will lead to a chilly night with a patchy rural frost. Cloud will tend to build later in the night, especially across the south. Minimum temperature 2 °C.

Wednesday:

A dry and clear evening will lead to a chilly night with a patchy rural frost. Cloud will tend to build later in the night, especially across the south. Maximum temperature 13 °C.

Outlook for Thursday to Saturday:

Largely dry and bright on Thursday, but rain arriving later. High pressure builds back in from Friday bringing plenty of dry and bright weather, but temperatures returning to nearer average.

As we head into the second week of March, high pressure looks to maintain its influence, especially towards the south or southeast of the UK. This means that many places will see plenty of dry weather with variable cloud amounts and some sunshine. The best of the sunny weather is most likely towards the south or southeast. Some overnight fog is possible given clear skies and light winds. However, frontal systems are still likely to affect the north and west of the UK at times, perhaps pushing further east on occasion. This might lead to some rain and strong winds, and possibly some hill snow across the highest parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Temperatures will be near or above normal, although a few frosty nights are still likely.

The slow moving pattern will probably continue for a while. Spells of rain are still possible across the west and northwest, with drier and brighter weather further east and southeast. Confidence is lower by late-March, however the blocked and slow-moving weather pattern may very well persist. The main uncertainty is whether this will lead to cyclonic and unsettled weather becoming slow moving and persistent across the UK; or continued anticyclonic pattern, which would mean more settled and perhaps colder patterns in the vicinity of the UK. In general, some rain still probable but distribution of any wetter areas is extremely low confidence. Temperatures overall near or above normal at first, with a sign of a slight downward trend through the rest of the month.