Skelmersdale (Lancashire) weather

Headline:

Cloudy with rain and hill snow arriving overnight.

Today:

Murky over the hills to start with pockets of drizzle. Largely dry elsewhere with the small chance of brighter spells emerging, but mostly staying cloudy. Feeling cold in the brisk breeze. Maximum temperature 5 °C.

Tonight:

Turning wetter in the evening as outbreaks of rain and drizzle spread across the region overnight, falling as snow over the mountains. Winds easing. Chilly but with limited frost. Minimum temperature 2 °C.

Wednesday:

A damp start to Wednesday as rain and hill snow gradually clears northwards. Generally drier by the afternoon, perhaps with some brighter spells as well. Slightly milder than Tuesday. Maximum temperature 8 °C.

Outlook for Thursday to Saturday:

Remaining rather dull throughout the week with limited brighter spells, giving a cool feel. Some drier moments but with the ongoing chance for outbreaks of rain. Breezy at times.

Frontal systems over the Atlantic, steered by a south-shifted jet stream, are likely to approach the UK at times, but tending to stall as they encounter a blocking area of high pressure to the north and northeast. This will result in further spells of rain at times, falling in areas already sensitive to flooding. As these bands of rain spread northwards, some snow will be possible in northern England and Scotland, mainly over higher ground, as they encounter colder air. A subtle shift southwards of these areas of low pressure is anticipated during the second week of February, which may allow a greater chance of colder air to spread across larger parts of the UK at times, including the south, bringing an increased risk of wintry hazards.

Whilst confidence is inevitably low through this period, a south-shifted jet stream is likely to persist for much of the time, steering areas of low pressure towards and south of the UK. This is likely to bring further spells of wet and windy weather, with rain most frequent in the south and west, and perhaps also eastern Scotland, with the driest conditions, relative to normal, in northwest Scotland. Some hill snow will be possible at times as the wet weather encounters colder air across northern parts of the UK. There is a hint that storm systems may start to track a little further north by March though. Temperatures overall will likely be close to average for most parts, but perhaps a little below in the northeast at first.