Europe Easter weather: Warmth to prevail, but rain to dampen some events
A fire ripped through the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15, causing its roof and main spire to collapse.
As millions of people plan to travel to or partake in Easter activities this weekend, near- to above-normal temperatures are expected throughout all of Europe as cold Siberian air remains entrenched over northern Asia.
The coolest air will be found over eastern Europe, where highs on Sunday will be in the middle 10s Celsius (57-62 degrees Fahrenheit).
Conversely, the highest temperatures are expected from Portugal to France, Belgium, the Netherlands and western Germany.
Locations such as Lisbon, Portugal; Paris, France; and Frankfurt, Germany, can expect high temperatures in the low 20s C (70-76 F). The warmest locations could see a high temperature of 27 C (80 F).
Easter Sunday will also be one of the warmest on record across the United Kingdom.
For those planning to be in attendance at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City for Pope Francis' Easter Sunday mass, temperatures will climb from 18 to 23 C (64 to 74 F) during the midday hours.
While the dry weather is good for many Easter festivities, officials in eastern Germany have canceled plans for traditional Easter bonfires due to the threat for wildfires. According to the Associated Press, firefighters controlled a forest fire in Koenigs Wusterhausen near Berlin early Friday.
While everyone can expect mild weather for the holiday weekend, not everyone will stay dry.
Heavy rain fell in southeastern Spain from Friday into Saturday. Although rain is not expected to be as intense later in the weekend, additional rain could worsen and ongoing flooding.
"More rain will stream into Valencian Community on Easter Sunday and can aggravate any flooding or mudslides that occurs earlier in the holiday weekend," AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
A shower can dampen Madrid and the rest of Spain on Easter, while spottier showers and thunderstorms erupt over eastern Portugal in the afternoon. Another zone of thunderstorms may ignite across central and western France, mainly from the late morning to the afternoon.
Showers with a few thunderstorms will spread from western Russia to Belarus, the Baltic states, eastern Poland, Ukraine and Romania on Sunday.
Most showers that dampen the southern Balkan Peninsula on Saturday will diminish by Easter Sunday.
Rainy spells will also stream over western Northern Ireland and northern Scotland. Far northwest Ireland will also be at risk for the wet weather, while the remainder of the British Isles can expect dry and mostly sunny weather for the Easter weekend.
Anyone with outdoor plans will have to be prepared to reschedule or change locations for their event due to the risk of rainfall.
Mild air will remain entrenched across all of Europe on Monday; however, the risk for showers and thunderstorms will increase across Italy.
Download the free AccuWeather app to monitor the latest forecast and potential for rain in your community.
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