There’s no doubt that the weather across the UK has been disappointing this week. Cloud, rain and brisk winds have been the main theme, with temperatures below where they should be for this time of year.

Whilst there are some hints that the weather may become more settled into the early part of June, for now, the low pressure is firmly in control.

One particularly notable area of low pressure will move across us tomorrow, with northern areas likely to see the most significant rainfall.

The air that is arriving with the weather system is very moist and has the potential to bring a considerable amount of rain – especially across the hills and mountains as air is forced upwards, squeezing even more moisture from the clouds.

Although there is a little uncertainty as to the exact position of the heaviest rain, it looks like northern England, Northern Ireland and eastern parts of Scotland will see the greatest amount of rainfall.

By the end of Saturday, 20-30mm of rain is expected to have fallen widely, with as much as 40-60mm over the hills and mountains.

Thankfully, with the ground having the capacity to soak up this heavy rainfall, the Environment Agency flood risk forecast suggests that the risk of flooding is low. Any flooding is expected to be localised, with just minor disruption.

For the rest of the UK on Saturday, there’ll be quite a bit of cloud, although southern parts of England and Wales will see some spells of sunshine.

On Sunday, it’s looking a little more mixed. Scotland and Northern Ireland are likely to brighten up after a cloudy and damp start. For England and Wales, it’ll be the other way around. After a bright start, cloud will thicken with rain moving in through the day.

Next week starts unsettled, but as the week goes on high pressure may try to move in from the west. This would bring drier, brighter weather, with temperatures a little higher.

As ever, you can get the latest forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website. I’ll also be posting updates on Twitter – @liamdutton

Following the warmest May bank holiday weekend that most of the UK has experienced in a few years, the weather has switched back to the all too familiar pattern of cloud, wind and rain.

The change from high pressure to low pressure gracing our shores has put more clouds than sunshine in the skies above during the past week, with temperatures a few degrees below where they should be for early May.

Yet again, the jet stream – a fast moving ribbon of air five miles above our heads – is to blame, having dived to the south of the UK. This not only puts us in a feed of colder air, but also steers areas of low pressure in our direction.

Image from EUMETSAT: shows low pressure (swirl of cloud) over Scotland

Low pressure stuck over us

To make matters worse, for much of this week, the same area of low pressure is going to get stuck over us – spinning around bringing showers or longer spells of rain with just occasional rations of sunshine in between.

So why is this area of low pressure getting stuck over us, rather than moving away like it normally would?

The easiest way to explain this is to use an analogy of a spinning top on a conveyor belt in a supermarket, with the conveyor belt being the jet stream and the spinning top the area of low pressure.

Normally, the jet stream would act as a conveyor belt, pushing the low pressure along, keeping it moving. However, this week, the area of low pressure will become separated from the jet stream and get left behind over the UK.

Referring back to the analogy, effectively, the spinning top falls off the conveyor belt, gets stuck and continues to spin around in roughly the same place until it stops spinning.

It’s the continual spinning around of this low pressure that will bring unsettled weather this week, before eventually weakening at the weekend.

So in a nutshell, don’t expect any barbecue weather soon.

Weather trend into June

Looking ahead to the longer term trend for late-May into the beginning of June, there are signs that high pressure may build to the north east of the UK over Scandinavia.

This would give us an easterly wind, which due to travelling over the still relatively chilly North Sea would bring below average temperatures.

Rainfall is likely to be close to average, but with the area high pressure fairly close by, there’s a good chance of some decent drier spells.

As ever, being so far ahead, the detail can change, so keep an eye on my blog for updates or you can follow me on Twitter – @liamdutton

Whilst taking a look at what the weather is doing around the world today, I came across twin cyclones that have formed in the Indian ocean.

Interestingly, one has formed either side of the equator. What’s interesting about this I hear you ask? Well, each tropical cyclone is spinning in the opposite direction to the other.

North of the equator, Tropical Cyclone One is spinning anti-clockwise, whilst south of the equator, Tropical Cyclone Jamala is spinning clockwise.

This is due to the Coriolis force – the motion of the earth’s spin, that deflects winds to the right north of the equator and to the left south of the equator.

Tropical Cyclone One

Whilst there is still some uncertainty on this storm’s path, the latest prediction from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center suggests that it will strengthen over the next five days and reach northern Burma early next week.

On making landfall, this storm would bring a significant risk of heavy rain, flooding and damaging winds, with neighbouring Bangladesh feeling its effect too.

Tropical Cyclone Jamala

This storm is going to strengthen over the coming days, but it will stay over open water and poses no threat to land in the foreseeable future.

I’ll be keeping an eye on the track of these storms in the coming days and will update you on their progress here on my blog and on Twitter – @liamdutton

As we carry on with our everyday lives at the surface, there are lots of satellites busily orbiting the earth, frequently snapping images of our planet from space.

These high-resolution images allow scientists to see how the surface of our planet is changing – something that is important to monitor as our human influence spreads across it.

A great place to see a regularly updated collection of these stunning pictures is on Nasa’s Earth Observatory website. From volcanic eruptions to travelling icebergs, the selection of images is impressive.

Having taken a look at the imagery captured during the past month, I thought that I’d share some of them with you, along with an explanation as to what each image shows.

Phoenix, Arizona at night

This light-filled image taken on 1 April shows the US city of Phoenix at night. As with most cities in the US, the roads and streets follow a regular grid-like pattern. The bursts of light from the streets resemble the pattern that you’d see on a circuit board.

What also stands out in this picture are the darker areas which signify more rural areas that don’t have the dense network of lights.

Dust plumes over the Mediterranean

This image taken on 7 April shows thick plumes of dust that have been blown from the sandy interiors of Libya and Egypt out across the Mediterranean sea.

As you can see, the plumes of dust are so thick in places that the view of the water below is obscured. Such dust storms are common in spring as the strong sun creates instability in the lowest part of the atmosphere, strengthening the wind.

Drought in New Zealand

Much of New Zealand reached drought status in late February following unusually low amounts of rain through their summer (December to February).

By April, the situation had worsened across the North Island, with farmers seriously in need for some rain in what was described as the worst drought in 70 years.

The top image below taken in April 2009 shows how green the land is following a summer of normal rainfall. The bottom image below was taken in April 2013 during the drought and clearly shows a browner landscape.

Ice-covered fjord in Canada

This stunning image taken on 12 April by Nasa’s Operation Ice Bridge project shows an ice-covered fjord on Baffin island, with Davis strait in the background.

The rugged terrain either side of the fjord is casting a huge shadow on the smooth ice in the valley below.

Spring wildfires in California

Early in May, several wildfires broke out in southern California, fuelled by a combination of hot, dry Santa Ana winds and many months of below average rainfall leaving the ground parched.

The image below taken on 2 May shows a thick plume of smoke being blown out across the Pacific ocean as the fires raged across the land.

Paluweh volcano, Indonesia

This picture taken on 29 April shows an ash cloud spewing from the Paluweh volcano that sits on the five-mile-wide island in Indonesia’s Flores sea.

Images like this show the advantage of satellite imagery in regularly monitoring some of the most remote places in the world.

If you enjoyed looking at these images, you can find lots more on Nasa’s Earth Observatory website.

Images courtesy of Nasa

For most of us, the weekend delivered some of the best May bank holiday weather that we’ve seen for quite a few years.

The combination of high pressure, light winds and sunshine lifted temperatures to around 21C in the warmest spots.

However, after this latest burst of warmth, there’s going to be a big change in the weather during the next few days.

As the jet stream picks up speed and sits to the south of the UK, areas of low pressure are going to be steered towards us, bringing heavy rain, as well as a notable drop in temperature.

In fact an area of low pressure that arrives on Wednesday is going to temporarily get stuck over us, bringing some windy weather on Thursday across England and Wales. The Met Office has issued a yellow alert as a result.

As the low pressure deepens, gales are going to develop on its southern side. Gusts of 40-50mph will affect southern parts of England and Wales during Thursday, with coastal areas touching 60mph.

Whilst these wind speeds are not as strong as they would be during a nasty autumn or winter storm, the thing to consider is that many trees are now in full leaf.

These leaves act as sails, giving a greater surface area to catch the wind, potentially ripping off branches, and in the worst case scenario, causing trees to be blown down.

Also, with the recent warm weather, there will be lots of garden furniture outside, which is worth securing or putting away to avoid it being blown over.

Although there may be some disappointment with the arrival of rain in the coming days, the ground is actually quite dry in some parts of England and Wales.

Following a dry April where rainfall was just 52 per cent and 56 per cent of average respectively for England and Wales, rain in the coming days welcome for gardeners.

Looking ahead to the weekend and next week, the weather looks cool and changeable, with the wettest weather in north and west, leaving southern and eastern areas relatively drier.

Don’t forget, you can get the latest forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website and I’ll be tweeting regular updates on Twitter – @liamdutton

Once again, a bank holiday weekend is upon us and the weather will be at the forefront of most of our minds as we decide what to do during the long weekend.

Bank holidays are often problematic at the best of times given the changeable nature of the British weather. Everyone hangs on to every word we meteorological folk utter, hoping that the words warmth and sunshine will leave our lips.

In recent days, you may have seen my comments on Twitter about how there has been quite a bit of uncertainty on exactly what the weather will do during the bank holiday.

Whilst the detail is still not crystal clear, I have increasing confidence in the most likely outcome, hence me putting my thoughts out there in this blog.

In a nutshell, as always, there are going to be winners and losers this weekend. At the moment, the best of the sunshine and warmth looks set to be across southern and eastern parts of England.

The weather elsewhere won’t be a write off, but it is likely to be a little more mixed, with cloudier spells and some rain.

Saturday

England and Wales will generally have a fine day on Saturday, but there will be some cloud and patchy rain across East Anglia and south east England in the morning, which could linger until lunch time in a few places.

Scotland and Northern Ireland will have a lot of cloud, with outbreaks of occasional rain through the day, accompanied by a brisk breeze.

Sunday

The best of any sunshine on Sunday will be across eastern parts of Scotland and Wales, as well as central and eastern England. However, don’t expect clear blue skies, as high cloud will tend to turn the sunshine hazy.

For the rest of the UK, there’ll be quite a bit of cloud, with outbreaks of light rain and drizzle – especially around the coasts and across the hills.

Places that see the sunshine will feel pleasantly warm at 16-20C, but where it stays cloudy, a cooler 10-16C.

Bank holiday Monday

At this stage, it looks like Scotland and Wales along with central and eastern parts of England will see the best of the sunshine on Monday.

Northern Ireland, northern and south west England could have quite a lot of cloud with some light rain or drizzle, but it’s not expected to amount to much.

Temperatures are likely to reach a warm 16-21C across England and Wales, but cool for Scotland and Northern Ireland at 10-16C.

There’s always a caveat that the detail could change slightly in the coming days, so keep an eye on the latest forecast on the Channel 4 weather website. I’ll also be posting updates on Twitter – @liamdutton

During the past ten days, spring has finally sprung across the UK, as the jet stream returned to where it should be at this time of year.

As result, warmer air has bathed our shores, with temperatures close to or even a little above average at times, encouraging plants and animals to come to life.

Yesterday, the temperature reached 23C at St James Park in London, making it the warmest day of the year so far.

However, after almost a fortnight of spring warmth, this weekend will see tropical maritime air replaced by colder polar maritime air.

Whilst it won’t be a return to winter proper, there will definitely be a chill in the air – especially at night and in the mornings.

In fact, in the coming few nights, almost anywhere in the UK could see a touch of frost – worth bearing in mind if you’re a gardener.

Saturday

It’ll be a chilly start to the day for many places, with a touch of frost in places – especially in rural areas.

Whilst the polar maritime air will bring some sunshine and excellent visibility, there’ll also be some heavy showers across central and eastern parts of England.

Elsewhere, showers will be lighter, with Scotland and Northern Ireland likely to stay dry for much of the day.

Sunday

After a chilly start again on Sunday, there’ll be a definite divide in the weather across the UK.

England and Wales will see any early sunshine diminish, with cloud and mainly light rain edging southwards through the day.

Scotland and Northern Ireland will brighten up after a damp start, but there will be quite a few showers punctuating the spells of sunshine.

Next week

As we move into May, the weather is going to hang onto April’s traits. It’s likely to be cool with below average temperatures.

Although there will be some sunshine, there’ll be spells of rain pushing in off the Atlantic from time to time.

Don’t forget, you can get the latest forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website. You can also follow my regular updates on Twitter – @liamdutton

Following a long and cold winter across most of Europe, dominated by cold easterly winds and snow, the continent has finally warmed up.

In the last week here in the UK, spring has clearly sprung, with nature bursting into life, trees blossoming and daffodils standing tall, lapping up the warmth and sunshine.

You may recall a few weeks ago, I mentioned that the return to spring-like weather is due to the jet stream returning northwards to where it should be at this time of year.

The jet stream separates cold air to its north and warm air to its south and where this boundary lies, weather fronts form – bringing rain and marked changes in temperature either side of them.

Whilst spring warmth bathes much of Europe over the next few days, there are a few exceptions. Scandinavia, northern parts of the UK and western Russia still sit in the colder air.

Effectively, to the north of this chain of weather fronts, winter’s legacy is still being felt, with chilly days, frosty nights and the threat of some wintry showers – especially over the hills and mountains.

You can see from the graphic below that on Wednesday, much of Europe south of the chain of weather fronts will see temperatures in the range of 17-24C. However, the places north of it will be around 10C or below.

By the weekend, this chain of weather fronts will wiggle around and change position.

In western Europe, they’ll dive southwards, allowing cooler weather to sweep in, bringing rain or showers and a cool wind. However, in eastern Europe, they’ll head northwards, taking with them warmer air, higher temperatures and some sunshine.

So for us here in the UK, it means after some temporary warmth across England and Wales midweek, there’ll be a notable drop in temperature by the weekend.

This will mean a return to below average temperatures for a time, along with night frosts and the possibility of showers turning wintry over the hills in the north.

Don’t forget, you can get the latest forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website. You can also follow my regular updates on Twitter – @liamdutton

As the weekend approaches, thousands of people are gearing up to take part in this year’s London Marathon. Given the enduring 26.2 mile course that runners have to complete, the weather has a big influence on how tough their experience will be.

Hot, humid weather would not be welcome as it puts extra strain on the body causing an increased rate of sweating and potential dehydration.

Also, humid air struggles to soak up any excess moisture, meaning that sweat doesn’t evaporate readily, reducing the body’s natural cooling mechanism.

At the other end of the spectrum, cold weather can be problematic when runners are waiting to set off at the starting line, as they struggle to keep warm whilst being stationary.

Ideal weather for running a marathon would be a typical spring day in the UK – dry with a light breeze, relatively low humidity and a temperature around 12-15C.

Before I come on to what the weather will offer runners and spectators this year, I thought I’d take a look back at the extremes of weather on London Marathon days in the past.

Past London Marathon weather

With April being a spring month, there’s a huge range of weather that can be experienced here in the UK as warm and cold air battle it out on our shores.

The hottest marathon days occurred in 1996 and 2007, when the temperature reached 22.2C in the sunshine.

Both the coldest and wettest marathon day was in 2004, when the temperature struggle to just 5.3C and 12.4mm of rain fell, accompanied by a cold wind.

The sunniest marathon day was in 2009, when there was 12.3 hours of sunshine bathing the capital.

2013 London Marathon weather

The weather for this year’s marathon is looking promising – especially for the runners, with a ridge of high pressure hanging on across south east England.

It will be a dry, cool morning, with spells of sunshine. The best of the sunshine will be early on, with cloud gradually increasing through the afternoon, but staying dry.

Temperatures will be around 2C at 6am, 6C at 9am, 11C at midday and peaking at 13C mid-afternoon, with humidity generally around 50-60 percent.

The wind will be south westerly at around 3-8mph, increasing to 8-12mph in the afternoon, with occasional gusts up to 17mph.

Don’t forget, you can get the latest weather forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website. I’ll also be giving occasional updates on Twitter – @liamdutton

Historical weather data: Met Office

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, spring warmth finally arrived on our shores at the weekend as an area of low pressure pushed a plume of tropical maritime air over us.

Thanks to the sunshine across eastern parts of England, we experienced the warmest day of the year so far, with Gravesend and Manston, both in Kent, reaching 22C (72F). The rest of eastern England was pleasantly warm as well, at 17-20C.

Another remarkable fact is that yesterday was the first time a temperature above 20C has been recorded in the UK since 17 September 2012 – seven months ago!

However, the tropical maritime air hasn’t only brought warmth, it has also brought moisture, so not all of us had sunshine yesterday.

Northern and western areas were very windy, with cloud and outbreaks of heavy rain. Despite this, temperatures still managed to reach a more spring-like 12-17C.

Is spring weather here to stay?

Whilst its position will vary over the next seven to ten days, the jet stream will be much closer to where it should be at this time of year.

As a result, the weather will be much more spring-like, with the usual variation of wind, rain and showers, interspersed with drier, sunnier interludes.

The wettest and windiest weather will tend to be across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern parts of England, with the best of any drier and brighter weather further south.

In terms of temperature, the latest information suggests that any notable warm spells are unlikely. However, temperatures should be much closer to average than of late, with a return to anything colder probably temporary.

London marathon weather

The London marathon is taking place next Sunday and the weather is always of great interest to those taking part.

The weather will be of particular importance this year because most people taking part will have only trained in cold weather, so very warm weather on the big day would be unwelcome.

My latest thoughts are that weather at the start line in the morning will be dry and cool with sunshine and a temperature of around 7C.

By early afternoon, the breeze is likely to pick up a bit, but it should stay bright and dry with further sunny spells and a temperature of around 14C.

I will of course keep you updated on the forecast for the London marathon and the rest of the UK throughout this week here on my blog and on Twitter – @liamdutton