Wide Firth (Orkney Islands) weather

Headline:

Rain clearing northeast. Bright spells in the afternoon.

Today:

The morning will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain. Bright or sunny spells will increase as dry conditions spread northeast with Orkney seeing a mostly dry afternoon. Strong winds at first become light through the morning. Maximum temperature 8 °C.

Tonight:

It will stay dry with clear spells through the evening. Becoming cloudy overnight with showery rain spreading north. Light winds. Minimum temperature 2 °C.

Tuesday:

It will be cloudy with showery rain at first. This will clear Orkney through the morning, and Shetland in the afternoon, allowing bright or sunny spells to develop. Maximum temperature 7 °C.

Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:

There will be variable amounts of cloud and bright spells from Wednesday through to Friday as bands of rain and showers pass northeast over the Isles. Windy at times.

Likely a continuation of the unsettled conditions see for much of the week. Initially a weakening frontal zone will bring cloud and some patchy rain and drizzle, mostly to northern and eastern areas. Following this winds are likely to fall light, and this could allow some fairly widespread mist and fog to form on Friday morning. However this should readily lift as winds begin to freshen once more ahead of a further band of rain expected to reach western areas later on Friday. This could bring a spell of locally heavy rain as it moves east across the country, particularly on hills exposed to the strong southerly winds. Thereafter likely to remain unsettled into the weekend, with further rain or showers for most. Temperatures not far from average throughout.

There is a greater chance of spells of high pressure during this period, bringing more in the way of dry weather compared to the unsettled patterns we are likely to see through the first couple of weeks of December, which also increases the chances of overnight fog and frost. There will probably still be some spells of rain, showers, and stronger winds though, especially in the west. Hill snow is also a possibility, mainly in the north. Overall, near or slightly above average temperatures are most likely, though some colder spells are also possible, especially should any prolonged settled spells develop.