Overview

• A high-pressure anticyclone centered over the west of Scotland has trapped low cloud and moisture, producing widespread grey, damp conditions, according to the Met Office.
• Breaks in the cloud are expected to increase Friday into Saturday, especially across southern and western areas, with some sunshine in west Wales and northern Scotland.
• Southerly winds and clearer intervals could nudge daytime temperatures into the low to mid-teens, with local highs around 15–17C where cloud lifts.
• Met Office maps show a large band of rain pushing in from the Atlantic on Sunday, Oct 19, moving east and turning conditions wetter and windier as the pattern becomes more changeable.
• Meteorologists explain the gloom stems from sinking air under high pressure that traps low cloud and pollutants, and some long-range outlooks caution that a weaker high could allow named storms later in the season.