Issued: 0530hrs Saturday 2nd January 2021
Duty forecaster: Claire Darbinyan

Low pressure brings unsettled conditions to the Mediterranean

Saturday
Showers, some wihtry, fade over northern parts of Spain and Portugal. Staying mostly dry and fine for central and southern areas. Staying wet and generally unsettled through the central Mediterranean with heavy showers or longer spells of rain across Italy and the islands as well as for the Balkans; these could wintry over higher ground here. Staying dry for Turkey and much of Greece but rain will push into the far west of Greece later in the day.
A mix of rain, sleet and snow affecting the southeast of France throughout the day with showers for northern coastal areas. Largely dry elsewhere with good spells of sunshine for central France. Heavy snow over southern parts of Switzerland and Austria but dry to the north of the Alps. Staying largely dry with variable amounts of cloud for Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.
Snow showers affect southern areas of Norway and Sweden but dry and fine further north. Wintry showers spread across Finland through the day. Snow showers affecting the Baltic States through the morning but these should fade through the afternoon. Some wintry showers affecting coastal areas of Denmark but largely dry otherwise.

Sunday
Wintry showers continue to spill in over northern parts of Spain and Portugal. Dry and fine over central and southern Iberia. Showers fade from the Balearic Islands but continue for Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and Italy where they may be locally heavy to the west of the Apennines. Heavy showers affect the Balkans and western Greece while southeastern Greece and Turkey stay dry and fine.
A front moving north brings outbreaks of sleet and snow to France, Germany, the Low Countries, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia on Sunday. Wintry showers fade over Switzerland and Austria to leave a dry and fair day in the Alps.
Showers fade over Denmark, Finland and the Baltic States as high pressure builds to leave a fine and dry day here. Dry and fine for much of Sweden and Norway though some showers may develop later over northwest Norway.