Ciste Dhubh (Highland) weather

Headline:

Outbreaks rain, some heavy, drier brighter northeast Thursday.

This Evening and Tonight:

Some clearer spells towards Inverness this evening. Otherwise cloudy with occasionally heavy rain, clearing northeastwards overnight with clear spells developing, but cloudy and patchy rain in west later. Winds easing. Minimum temperature 4 °C.

Thursday:

Caithness and Inverness look largely dry with sunny spells. Cloudier elsewhere with outbreaks of rain and drizzle, becoming more persistent and occasionally heavy in the afternoon. Southerly winds slowly easing. Maximum temperature 11 °C.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

Remaining unsettled with showers or longer spells of occasionally heavy rain. Mild, with strong southerly or southwesterly winds and coastal gales, severe at times over the weekend.

The current unsettled spell of weather is likely to continue through much of next week. Further spells of rain are expected, likely to be heavy and prolonged at times, particularly in the west and northwest. Some drier spells of weather are also likely, these most reliably across southeastern parts of the UK. Often windy, especially in the north and west where there is potential for a spell of very strong winds to develop for a time early next week. Generally mild with any overnight frost patchy and mainly in the north. There are signs that conditions may become less disturbed heading towards the Christmas period, with the potential for high pressure to build bringing drier conditions, with the risk of overnight frost and fog patches increasing.

Moving into late-December and early January, there are signs that the persistent pattern of mild and wet weather, which has characterised the month so far, may ease somewhat, with a chance of high pressure becoming more influential. Compared to recently, the chance of dry, settled patterns of weather is higher with frost and fog more prevalent. Spells of rain and strong winds remain possible, but these are more likely to less frequent compared to the month so far. The chance of snowfall is likely to be higher than earlier in the month, particularly high ground in the north. Whilst the chance of impacts from cold weather is higher compared to earlier in the month, the likelihood of more widespread snow and ice remains very low.