Issued: 0530hrs Friday 1st January 2021
Duty forecaster: Alexi Venerus

Cold air continues to affect the north aswell as Spain and Portugal. Staying unsettled with heavy rain through the Mediterranean.

Friday
It will be a largely cloudy day across Spain and Portugal with rain, sleet and snow affecting many areas at times, heaviest to the north. An area of low pressure develops over the Mediterranean bringing showers or longer spells of rain to the Balearics, where it could fall wintry over higher ground, as well as northern and western areas of Italy, Corsica and Sardinia. Southern Italy and Sicily will be cloudy but mainly dry. An improving day across Greece with some patchy rain affecting over west Turkey.
Outbreaks of rain will be confined to mainly southern parts of France but with some wintry showers affecting northern areas too. West Switzerland will see some rain and snow with southern part of Austria also seeing some patchy rain and snow showers but drier elsewhere here. Rain affecting western parts of Croatia, Slovenia and Hungary. Drier further east down the Balkans. Largely dry across eastern Europe.
Mostly dry across Norway but with some snow in the far southeast. Sweden will see snow fall in the situh but remain largely dry further north. An area of wintry precipitation pushes acxross the Baltics as the day progresses. Snow fall will soon clear from the south of Finland allowing for an improving day here. Rain, sleet and snow expected across parts of Denmark.

Saturday
A somewhat improving day across much of Spain and Portugal, although the far north of both countries still being affected by rain, sleet and snow. Coastal areas of Portugal will too see showers pushing in. Staying wet and generally unsettled through the Mediterranean with heavy showers or longer spells of rain across Italy and the islands, these could be wintry too over higher ground in particular. Staying dry for Turkey and much of Greece but patchy rain will push into the far west of Greece later in the day.
A mix of rain and possible sleet affecting the southeast of France throughout the day, rain could be heavy in places towards coasts. Largely dry elsewhere but with rain, sleet and snow showers affecting northern coastal areas. Rain affecting the far south of Switzerland and southern parts of Austria but largely dry elsewhere. Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia will too be affected by heavy spells of rain. Eastern Europe staying dry.
Snow showers continue to affect southeastern areas of Norway and southern Sweden but dry and fine further north. Rain, sleet and snow pushing into southeastern areas of Finland through the day. Snow showers affecting the Baltic States through the morning but these should fizzle away in the afternoon. Some wintry showers affecting coastal areas of Denmark but largely dry otherwise.