Today is a special day: it's St Dwynwen's Day, the Welsh patron saint of lovers.
The best place today is indoors having a cwtch, as Atlantic fronts are bringing a wintry mixture of rain, sleet and snow to Wales.
Most of the snow today will fall in parts of Powys, Monmouthshire, north east Wales and the Marches with drifting and blizzards on the mountains.
There is a Met Office yellow warning of snow in force.
This evening watch out for heavy rain in the south and west. After midnight the heavy rain and snow will clear leaving the whole country dry.
Icicles on a shed in Hay-on-Wye. Photo by Mike Barrell
Last night, Tredegar was one of the coldest places in the UK with a low of minus 9 Celsius. Tonight won't be as cold as that but inland there will be a risk of ice, with temperatures around freezing or below by dawn.
Tomorrow will start cold with some frost and icy patches but most of the day will be dry and bright with some sunshine. However, cloud and rain will spread from the south west later in the afternoon. Temperatures will be higher than recently, 3 to 9 Celsius and breezy with a south to south-westerly wind.
Tomorrow evening and night will turn wet and windy. The heavy rain will be accompanied by strong to gale force winds. Rivers could rise in response to the rainfall and melting snow. Flood alerts may be issued but the likelihood of flooding from larger rivers remains low.
Environment Agency Wales is advising people to take extra care on the roads as driving conditions could be hazardous.
The heavy rain will clear leaving Sunday windy with a mixture of bright spells and blustery showers. Some of the showers will be heavy and wintry on the hill tops and mountains. Top temperatures 7 to 9 Celsius but it will feel colder in the brisk winds.
Next week will bring further spells of wet and windy weather. With heavy rain and gales, and given that the ground is saturated, I think flooding will become an issue.
So the current cold spell is on its last legs with a rapid thaw over the weekend. Next week temperatures on Tuesday could reach a very mild 12 Celsius!
Derek
