Issued: 0530hrs Thursday 29th December 2016
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling

Foggy central and southern Europe, windy and mild Scandinavia


Thursday
High pressure extends broadly across the continent, centred over Germany and Poland, bringing dry weather to many countries. Plenty of sunshine, although some persistent low level fog is likely in central Europe. Temperatures up to 14 to 17C for the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and around 13 to 15C for southern France. Lighter winds for the Alps.
A strong north-easterly flow affects south-eastern Europe, bringing widely cold conditions, and snow showers. Just 5 to 8C in Greece , and near or below freezing across the Balkans. A fairly mild south-westerly flow influences Scandinavia. Rain for western Norway, but largely dry in Sweden and Finland.

Friday
With high pressure across central Europe the weather in the Mediterranean stays mostly fair. There will be good spells of sunshine in much of Spain and Portigal although fog patches are going to be forming inland. Fair in Italy with sunny spells to the south, although cold with some fog in the north. Greece is likely to be chilly but dry which much of Turkey will be breezier with some snow showers in the north and east.
Calm winds through France bring about widespread fog here. This slowly clearing to leave a cold day, but may linger in places throughout. A brighter day in the Low Countries and northern Germany but staying cold in southern Germany and Poland with more fog. Similar chilly and foggy conditions to come in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland.
Windy across Denmark and the Baltic sStates. It is likely to be dry here as well as mild. Rain affects westernNorway, some of it heavy. Windy too in Norway. Staying windy across Sweden and mostly dry, whilst Finland stays mild, windy and dry in the south but some sleet or snow in the north.