Wet and Windy Afternoon, Drier Tonight
A cloudy start with hill fog and mostly dry weather at first. Light rain spreads in from the south-west through the morning, reaching Cheshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester first. During the afternoon the rain turns widespread and heavy for a time, especially over west Cumbria, central and east Lancashire and the hills of east Cheshire.
The rain clears north-eastwards early this evening, leaving most places dry but cloudy. Tonight stays largely dry with some clear spells, apart from the odd patch of light rain or drizzle. It will feel chilly, with highs of 9C to 12C, warmest on the coast, and lows of 5C to 8C tonight.
A blustery west to north-westerly wind will bring gusts of 30 to 40 mph inland this afternoon, rising to 40 to 48 mph on exposed coasts. Gusts close to 50 mph are possible over the high Pennines this evening. The wind eases later tonight.
