Through the rest of Easter Day; rain across many central and northern parts will gradually begin to ease. Conversely, where we saw a bright and chilly start in central and eastern areas, it will soon cloud over with a little rain later.

On Bank Holiday Monday, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, after a largely cloudy start, will see sunny intervals developing through the morning. Many places will stay dry but don’t be surprised if you see a shower. It will turn colder from the north, with increasing amounts of sunshine across Scotland. There’ll be some showers here too; some of which will turn wintry across the far north for a time. A cold night will follow, with a sharp, damaging frost in some parts of Scotland and northern England.

After last weekend when many parts saw unbroken sunshine and temperatures well above average for the time of year, it will feel cooler for Easter with temperatures reaching around 12-15C by day. In any prolonged sunny spells it will still feel pleasant and remember that the sun is now quite strong so cover up if you’re going to be outside for a long time. With a cool polar maritime airmass affecting the UK, it will also turn chilly overnight where skies remain clear, so gardeners need to be aware of the risk of frosts.

Alex Deakin explains more about the forecast for the weekend in the video below:

VisitEngland Director Patricia Yates said: “With so many fantastic attractions and events on this Easter and with a mainly fine, dry forecast this long weekend is a great opportunity for Brits to get out and enjoy a holiday at home whether on a seaside, countryside or city break.”

RAC spokesperson said: “We’re expecting Easter traffic to peak on Sunday when many families will be heading home after a short seasonal break. Combined with the inevitable day trip traffic we’d expect, this will likely lead to some delays on the road network.

“RAC patrols will be working hard right throughout the long weekend to get those unlucky enough to break down on their way again. But a few quick checks of your car before you set out can drastically reduce the chances of you needing assistance. If you are travelling a long distance it’s best to check that oil and coolant are topped up to the right levels, and having the right amount of screenwash can also keep your view of the road ahead clear. Check your tyres too – especially if you are towing for the first time this year.”

As the dates for Easter move each year, we typically can expect to see a range of weather and temperatures across the holiday and this is reflected in the extremes recorded. Although this Easter looks to be on the cool side, it’s not going to be nearly as cold as in 1998 on Good Friday when Pennerley in Shropshire recorded a maximum temperature of -0.4C. Neither will we see as much rain as that recorded in 2010, when Honister in Cumbria recorded 72mm of rain on Easter Day itself. The highest maximum temperature recorded over past Easter weekends was 27.8C recorded on Easter Saturday at Heathrow, London (1949), Mildenhall, Suffolk (1949) and Wisley, Surrey (2011).

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