An unsettled period on the horizon

High pressure brings a fairly quiet day on Friday, with sunny spells for many. It will be cloudier in the far west though, with patchy rain, especially over Northern Ireland and western Scotland.

Turning more unsettled over the weekend

There's another fine day for England and much of Wales on Saturday. However, unsettled conditions already affecting Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland will gradually push to all areas as low pressure moves in from the west. Cloud and rain, which could be heavy at times, will affect into Northern Ireland and southwestern parts of England and Wales by Saturday evening, with rain continuing to spread eastwards overnight, easing as it does so.

Sunday sees another band of rain, which could be heavy at times, spreading eastwards, bringing a blustery day with sunny spells and heavy showers. It will be feeling quite mild for the time of year though, with highest temperatures likely to be around 18°C.

As we move into the new working week, Monday and Tuesday bring a mixture of sunshine and showers, the heaviest and most frequent in the west, with conditions drier in the east. Unsettled conditions likely to persist for the remainder of the week with the potential for disruptive rain and wind.

Possible aurora sightings for some

There's a potential for some aurora visibility for some, primarily in the north of the UK, over the next few nights.

Met Office Space Weather Manager Krista Hammond said: "There is the potential for a coronal mass ejection to arrive at Earth late on Friday or early on Saturday, which could lead to visible aurora for Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England.

"In addition, we recently observed an X9 solar flare - the largest of this solar cycle so far. The accompanying coronal mass ejection is likely to arrive at Earth overnight on Saturday into Sunday, meaning that enhanced auroral visibility is possible further south across central England and similar latitudes, though cloud and rain could hamper viewing potential for some."

Find the latest space weather forecast from the Met Office.

Potentially disruptive weather possible later next week

From midweek, Hurricane Kirk, which is currently in the Atlantic, poses a threat of bringing disruptive rain and wind for some, though it will have lost its status as a hurricane by the time it reaches northwest Europe.