Easter bank holiday weather: How sunny will your area be over the long weekend?

With Easter weekend around the corner, all eyes are on the weather forecast for the long bank holiday weekend.

Get the toasted hot cross buns ready - but not necessarily the barbecue!

Where will receive the most sunshine during the long weekend?

It's more a question of "when" rather than "where". Expect plenty of spring sunshine on Good Friday and more bright blue sky for many of us into Easter Saturday. More cloud is set to return for the rest of the long weekend. 

How warm will it get?

Temperatures will be around and just above average for the time of year - and so much better than recent weeks - peaking around 16-18C on Saturday in the spring sunshine. 

Those temperatures will be a bit lower with the arrival of more cloud and shade. 

Bare in mind we have some chilly nights to come with clear skies allowing temperatures to drop near freezing - some will wake to a patchy frost first thing on Good Friday(!). We will also be prone to chilly evenings and early mornings. 

Can we expect any downpours?

Downpours will develop on Maundy Thursday, they will be intense in places with hail and thunder.

By Easter Sunday rain will move into Scotland and Northern Ireland - and then into remaining north-western areas on Bank Holiday/Easter Monday. 

Why has the weather changed so suddenly?

We had a run of gloomy, grey and soggy days in March - due to being plagued low pressure systems.

As we've stepped into April, high pressure has returned meaning a switch in fortunes and the return of drier, brighter skies.

Another ridge of high pressure will extend across the UK just in time for the start of the long Easter weekend. 

Don't count your (Easter) chicks/chickens though - Spring is known as fickle season and the weather is looking more changeable from Bank Holiday Monday/Easter Monday onwards.  

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