Spring is on its way! South is set for a warmer weekend with sunshine


Spring is on its way to Britain, with the South of England set for sunshine and warmer temperatures as the country manages to dodge Storm Gladys for now.

The Met Office has forecast clear skies with mercury reaching 50F in parts of the South and South East tomorrow, in a welcome break from the ferocious storms that have smashed Britain in the past week.

Across Scotland and Northern Ireland, tonight is set to be mostly cloudy with patchy light rain or drizzle and coastal gales and expected to continue through Saturday and Sunday.

Earlier, motorists faced icy conditions during rush hour as forecasters warned people to travel with care following low overnight temperatures.

The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings, valid until 9.30am today, which said icy stretches were likely to form on untreated roads amid near-freezing temperatures.

Perth and Kinross Council tweeted that there were ‘very icy conditions this morning throughout all domains’ and said that crews were out treating carriageways and footways. Elsewhere the snow gates were closed at Braemar and Spittal of Glenshee while further north Bear Scotland North West Trunk Roads said that gritters were ‘out working round the clock’. 

A cold start on Friday, with frost in places, especially the north-west, was set to make way for a drier and brighter day with sunny spells. 

Daffodils are in full bloom as a person sits on a bench in St James' Park in central London on February 25, 2022

Daffodils are in full bloom as a person sits on a bench in St James’ Park in central London on February 25, 2022

The Met Office has forecast clear skies with mercury reaching 50F in parts of the South and South East tomorrow, in a welcome break from the ferocious storms that have smashed Britain. Across Scotland and Northern Ireland, tonight is set to be mostly cloudy with patchy light rain and coastal gales and expected to continue through Saturday and Sunday

The Met Office has forecast clear skies with mercury reaching 50F in parts of the South and South East tomorrow, in a welcome break from the ferocious storms that have smashed Britain. Across Scotland and Northern Ireland, tonight is set to be mostly cloudy with patchy light rain and coastal gales and expected to continue through Saturday and Sunday

A man sets some fishing nets during the morning sunshine in Folkestone, Kent on February 25, 2022

A man sets some fishing nets during the morning sunshine in Folkestone, Kent on February 25, 2022

A woman sits with two children against the backdrop of daffodils in bloom in St James' Park in London, February 25, 2022

A woman sits with two children against the backdrop of daffodils in bloom in St James’ Park in London, February 25, 2022

The aerial images show the serious destruction that the weekend flooding, caused by Storm Franklin, has had upon on various train tracks near Welshpool, Powys

The aerial images show the serious destruction that the weekend flooding, caused by Storm Franklin, has had upon on various train tracks near Welshpool, Powys

Met Office chief meteorologist Frank Saunders said: ‘A ridge of high pressure builds on Friday resulting in a fine, bright day for most.

‘However, the winds pick up again as we head into the weekend with weather fronts bringing rain to the north and west and milder air spreads back in here.’

The Met Office said the unsettled blustery weather will stay around over the coming days, especially in the north-west, although conditions are not expected to be as severe as during the past week.

Several weather fronts are set to cross northern parts of the country and bring bouts of wet and windy weather, while southern and eastern areas are in line for the best of the fine weather over the weekend.

The Met Office described the jet stream, which has been driving storm systems across the North Atlantic Ocean in recent weeks, as still being very active but these winds are shifting further north and may allow for more settled weather to arrive next week.

Temporary flood barriers hold back floodwater from the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shropshire, February 23, 2022

Temporary flood barriers hold back floodwater from the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shropshire, February 23, 2022

Flooded properties next to the Severn on February 23, 2022 following high winds and wet weather in Ironbridge

Flooded properties next to the Severn on February 23, 2022 following high winds and wet weather in Ironbridge

Meteorologist Alex Deakin said the weather will ‘remain pretty lively over the next certainly four or five days, chopping and changing day-on-day’.

Saturday is expected to be breezy, while people in the north-west have been told to brace for further strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday.

After a spell of rain across the UK on Monday, calmer weather is forecast from Tuesday, though clear skies could bring frosty mornings, the Met Office said.

The last week has seen storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin cause problems across the country and around 400 properties have been flooded.

The Environment Agency had 25 flood warnings and 29 flood alerts in place in England on Friday morning.

On Thursday, snow led to school closures in some Scottish areas and caused difficult driving conditions.

Schools were also forced to shut and travellers faced disruption after much of Northern Ireland was blanketed by overnight snow. 

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