The Ford County Ground Essex C.C.C. (Essex) weather

Headline:

Early showers, then mainly fine but cloudier later. Winds easing.

Today:

Fine and frosty for many to start, but windier near the coast with scattered blustery showers possible, with these showers then gradually easing. Mainly fine thereafter, with sunshine eventually becoming hazier through the afternoon. Maximum temperature 6 °C.

Tonight:

Becoming generally cloudy as a little light rain and drizzle spread eastwards during the evening. Gradually becoming milder, with frost not expected. Minimum temperature 4 °C.

Tuesday:

Mild but on the cloudy side, with many areas staying dry, although the odd spot of rain remains possible. Some limited brighter spells more likely in the afternoon. Maximum temperature 13 °C.

Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:

Predominantly settled, mild and cloudy conditions are expected for the Christmas period, with winds gradually easing. Limited overnight frosts.

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. Many other areas are predominantly dry but rather cloudy, with the best cloud breaks likely to be found across parts of eastern Scotland and Northeastern England. Around the turn of the year, it looks more probable that colder, more showery conditions will likely make at least some ingress into northern and perhaps central areas, bringing a risk of some impacts from ice, sleet and snow. Widely mild at first, perhaps exceptionally so in some places, 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.