Issued: 0530hrs Friday 24th November 2017
Duty forecaster: Garry Nicholson

Rain turning heavy France, Germany then Italy; snow Alps

Friday
The south & south-east of Europe stays dry, sunny and warm. Top temperatures 21 to 24C in southern Spain and Portugal. Rain affects northern Portugal and north-west Spain. Lots of sunshine from Italy to the Balkans, Greece and areas around the Black Sea.
Fronts trail across central Europe, bringing cloud and outbreaks of rain to France and Germany, plus parts of Denmark and southern Sweden. Gusty winds for a time as fronts move through. Early rain should clear from the Low Countries. Some snow reaching the western Alps, but drier further east. Windy across Norway, with frequent heavy snow and hail showers in the west. Patchy rain for Finland, or snow toward the north.

Saturday
A swathe of heavy rain affects northern Spain, central-southern France and Germany on Friday night, and will bring snow to the Swiss Alps. By Saturday morning, and thundery rain is likely for northern Italy, setting in for much of the day as a small area of low pressure forms around the Gulf of Genoa. Windy for the western Mediterranean, risk local gales. Rain advances east across Germany into Poland. Showers follow across France and the Low Countries.
Meanwhile, Spain and Portugal will see a bright day as pressure builds, cool in the north, but staying warm in the south, up to at 23C. Dry and fairly mild for east & south-eastern Europe. Scandinavia will be cool, or cold in the north. Showery again in western Norway. Largely dry across Sweden. Snow for northern Finland.