Lochmaddy (Na h-Eileanan Siar) weather

Headline:

Mainly cloudy with patchy rain, more persistent over West Highlands.

Today:

A mainly cloudy day with some patchy rain or drizzle, heavier over parts of West Highlands. Drier towards Inverness and Wick where some brightness will break through at times. Winds strengthening but very mild especially in the east. Maximum temperature 14 °C.

Tonight:

A mild night with strong southwesterly winds, coastal gales in the far northwest, Light rain or drizzle around west coasts, dry elsewhere with the odd clear spell further east. Minimum temperature 10 °C.

Wednesday:

A windy Christmas day with coastal gales in the northwest, dry and cloudy for many but some patchy rain for the Western Isles, the best brightness towards the east again. Maximum temperature 12 °C.

Outlook for Thursday to Saturday:

Wet for many on Boxing Day but lighter winds, the far north may remain dry. Showery with a few sunnier spells on Friday and Saturday and feeling cooler, windy again.

The start of this period will be characterised by mild, cloudy conditions for most, with some drizzle in places, and more persistent rain across northwest Scotland, which will probably start to spread southeast. Many other areas will be predominantly dry but rather cloudy, with the best cloud breaks likely to be found across parts of eastern Scotland and Northeastern England. By the turn of the year, it looks more probable that colder, more unsettled conditions will likely make at least some ingress into northern and central areas, bringing a risk of some impacts from rain, wind, and maybe even ice, sleet and snow. Widely mild at first, but temperatures probably return to nearer normal by early January. Throughout, any clearer spells overnight may lead to localised frost and fog.

Confidence in this period is fairly low, but overall, slowly-evolving weather patterns are more favoured. Continuing from the previous period, there remains a slightly reduced chance compared with normal of wet and windy spells, with a slightly greater potential for colder episodes during the first half of January. While drier than average conditions are likely for many areas, some precipitation is still expected, which could lead to wintry hazards at times. Temperatures are likely to be close to or a little above normal overall, but this could be made up of a mix of milder and colder interludes.