This weekend's weather

Meteorologist Libby Greenhalgh looks ahead at the situation this weekend in the UK south coast

Weekend Forecast 26th-27th March 2005

General Situation

The continuation of the mild southerly flow is expected over the Bank holiday period despite a high pressure building from Eastern Europe. As with nearly all Bank Holiday weekends it is not going to be a dry one...

The UK will be sandwiched between a low pressure system centred to the southwest of the UK and a high pressure system centred over Eastern Europe battling to dominate the weather.

The high pressure system will extend north westwards to cover the area for the Saturday maintaining a southeasterly gradient. The high pressure system also holds the frontal systems associated with the low pressure to the south and west of the area for Saturday. While conditions will be dry they will also be cloudy.

As we move into Sunday the high pressure edges northwards allowing the low pressure system and its associated frontal system to affect the area. A cold front is expected around midday with a marked wind veer from the southeast to the southwest and an increase in the gradient. Conditions will cloudy with slight occasionally moderate rain and gusty near the front.

Saturday

An easterly wind is expected throughout Saturday with fairly hazy visibility but not sea fog like last weekend. The wind will be between 8-12 knots and gradually increase to 15 knots. With the situation being fairly stable there will be little synoptic change to the wind across the day. Variations will be due to local effects such as wind bends, funnelling and other land affects.

Sunday: remember clocks have changed!

The wind will start off in the east at less than 5 knots and will back possibly as far as the northeast, with the approach of the cold front from the south, during the morning.

With the cold front expect widespread slight rain and occasionally turning moderate and conditions to turn gusty. While the mean will stay in the region of 5 knots the gusts could be up to 15 knots.

The front is expected to clear soon after midday. Post front the wind will veer to the south and then gradually strengthen reaching up to 15 knots by the end of the day ahead of a second frontal system.

To download Saturday's Bracknell synoptic chart - click here
To download Sunday's Bracknell synoptic chart - click here

Wind forecast for Friday (25 Mar) at 1200



Wind forecast for Saturday (26 Mar) at 1200



Wind forecast for Sunday (27 Mar) at 1200