Here's When Experts Say It'll Be Sunny Again As Easter Weekend Looms

For many parts of the UK, last weekend’s sunny, dry weather has given way to “low pressure” and resulting “showery rain coming in from the west,” the Met Office says. 

Winds and even hail might be part of the mix too despite some “drier spells” and “sunshine at times,” they predict (ah, English weather).

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (the 15th, 16th, and 17th respectively) are likely to be the same; only by the Easter weekend are there some signs of “more settled” climes. 

Here’s when, and where, the experts predict a return of the glorious sunshine we’ve just been teased by. 

Easter weekend may be a little shaky weather-wise

That’s despite their earlier prediction, that the weather would clear up in time for the Easter weekend. 

But the closer we get to the bank holiday weekend, the more their algorithm seems to push the end of the wet, cooler low-pressure period further (boooo). 

“Easter weekend could still be on the cusp between the more unsettled theme to something a little bit drier,” even leaving us waiting ’til Easter Monday for the dreamy weather, the Met’s meteorologist adds. 

BBC Weather broadly agrees, adding that meteorologists say snow is more likely to fall on Easter in the UK than it is at Christmas. 

Still, they add, snow is unlikely this year; and some computer models “show the potential for another area of high pressure to build in from the north, returning to largely dry conditions nearer Easter.”

In short, it looks like we’ll get sun on Friday or Saturday if we’re very lucky; Sunday or even as late as Easter Monday seem to be safer bets so far, however.  

Why is it so hard to predict long-term weather?

Both the Met Office and the BBC admit that longer-term forecasts are hard to get right. 

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern explained: “What meteorologists actually do, is rather than cherry pick one computer model run for more than two weeks’ time, the computer models are run lots and lots of times and then we can pick out areas where they are agreeing and areas where they are disagreeing.”

“Then we can talk about likely weather patterns and less-likely weather patterns, common themes and so on,” he continued.

That means the variables become greater, and the outcomes less predictable, the longer into the future we look.