Liverpool is set for a mixed but increasingly warm week, with sunshine breaking through today before the city heads toward what is forecast to be the hottest day of the spell on Thursday. The latest weather Liverpool outlook points to 22C in the city on Thursday, with Friday close behind at 21C.
Today, cloud is expected to break up to reveal sunny spells this morning, while light showers moving in from the north may affect some places in the afternoon. Tonight is due to stay dry, with patchy cloud and clear spells.
Tomorrow should begin largely cloudy and cool, with some hill fog and a chance of drizzle, before a few sunny breaks appear in the afternoon and the day turns dry. By Wednesday, the pattern shifts again: it is expected to start cloudy with hill fog in places, then turn milder later with plenty of sunshine developing.
The warmup is part of a wider spell across the UK that has already brought temperatures into the mid 20s in some areas over the weekend. Forecast guidance shows high pressure remaining the dominant feature into next week, helping to keep conditions settled for now even as the Met Office says the overall pattern will become more changeable as May approaches.
That change is expected to show up first in the form of low pressure systems becoming more likely, bringing an increasing chance of showers or longer spells of rain and a risk of strong winds at times. Some dry spells with warm sunshine are still likely, and temperatures are expected to stay close to or slightly above normal for the time of year.
For Liverpool, Thursday looks like the best chance of a proper early-summer feel, with sunshine and 22C forecast. Friday is then expected to bring cloud, sunny breaks and showers moving in from the southwest, some of them heavy at times, with 21C still warm enough for April.
The longer-range picture from May 11 to May 25 is less settled. Low pressure systems are expected to dominate at the start of that period, with showers or longer spells of rain likely at times, heavy in places, along with a risk of strong winds. Temperatures should be close to or slightly below normal early on, before later in May more settled and drier conditions may begin to develop, with temperatures possibly edging above normal.
The driver behind the current burst of warmth is straightforward: strong late-April sunshine, sinking air under high pressure being compressed and warmed, and the land surface heating a little more each day. Sea temperatures are still low, which can temper conditions near the coast, but the signal from the forecast remains clear enough for now. Liverpool gets a brief run of bright, warm weather first, then a return to showers by Friday, with the bigger change only likely once May is underway.
