Issued: 0530hrs Friday 4th January 2019
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling

Cold in eastern Europe with snow showers, fair in much of western Europe


Friday
Friday sees the continuation of dry and fine weather for the Iberian peninsula. Becoming cloudy though for the Balearics where Majorca and Menorca could see some rain. A chance of rain in the morning for Corsica and Sardinia too. Rain and snow showers are expected to continue over southern and central parts of Italy while low pressure will continue to bring strong winds, heavy downpours, snow and, perhaps, some thunderstorms to Greece and Turkey.
France and the Low Countries will have a mixture of cloudy skies and sunny spells on Friday although it should stay dry. A band of snow followed by rain will impact southern and eastern parts of Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and Poland throughout the day. Dry and bright in Switzerland.
It will be an overcast day for Denmark with a chance of some showers while a band of snow and rain will impact the Baltic States. Wintry showers should clear Finland by the early afternoon leaving an overcast day. Sweden will see rain and wintry precipitation in the north but remain dry and dull in the south. Western coastal regions of Norway will see almost continuous wintry precipitation throughout the day but southeastern areas should remain dry and overcast.

Saturday
Fair a chilly across eastern Spain and the Balearics today. Plenty of sunshine in Portugal and staying dry here. Scattered showers for southern Italy, fair and dry in the north but with some fog. Rain in Greece and cold here. Unsettled with showers or rai in much of Turkey.
Fair for much of France but cold. Some fog in the west. Cold for the Low Countries and Germany, The threat of rain turning to snow in central and southern Germany. Poland is likely to be cold too, again with some rain and snow in the south. Austria, Hungary and Switzerland will be cold with snow showers.
Fair in Denmark with sunny spells. Cold with scattered snow showers in the Baltic States. Staying cold and frosty in Finland and for much of Sweden too. Drizzle and low cloud in western Norway where it should be milder too.