Cooler and more unsettled weather on the way

High pressure is continuing the largely dry theme we've seen through much of November so far, albeit with some more persistent rain likely for parts of western Scotland from Friday.

According to early provisional Met Office figures up to 11 November, sunshine has been in short supply so far, with 8.3 hours of sunshine accounting for just 14% of the full month's long-term average for the UK. At this point, you'd normally expect to have seen around 37% of the average for the month.

The UK has also had its driest start to the month on record, in a series which dates back to 1891. An average of just 3.5mm of rain has fallen in the UK so far this month, which is 3% of the long-term average for the whole of the month. Of course, with over half of the month still to go, there remains time for these figures to change significantly.

A change is on the way

A marked change to more unsettled and also colder weather is expected over the weekend, as high pressure gradually subsides and allows winds to start to come in from the north or northwest.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Mark Sidaway said: "The high pressure that has been responsible for the mainly dry weather through much of this week will retrogress into the Atlantic as we get towards the weekend. This will gradually introduce more unsettled weather, initially in the north from Friday but more widely from Sunday.

"In addition to this increased rainfall, which could be heavy at times on Sunday, temperatures will also drop, especially for those in Scotland, as a northerly airflow develops, bringing colder Arctic air to some northern areas.

"This shift does introduce the possibility of snow, initially over high ground in the north from Sunday, with gusty winds also a potential hazard. There is a lot of uncertainty by Sunday, but there remain a number of scenarios which could bring some more widespread rain, along with some hill snow and stronger winds. Warnings for winter hazards are possible later in the weekend, so it's important to stay up to date with the latest forecast."

The full extent of the long-range forecast will be explored in the Met Office's Deep Dive video today (Tuesday), which is available through YouTube and via the Met Office app.

Find out more about the details of how forecasting snow in the UK works, as well as why some online headlines don't always reflect the reality of the forecast.

You can find the latest forecast on our website, on YouTube, by following us on X and Facebook, as well as on our mobile app which is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from the Google Play store.