Bektauata, Kazakhstan

Weather Underground Forecast for Thursday, June 20, 2013.

An active weather pattern returns to central Europe on Thursday as the prevailing ridge of high pressure slides to the east and the closed low over the Iberian Peninsula opens up over the western third of the continent. This upper level disturbance over the west will support several areas frontal disturbances traversing across the British Isle and the eastern to central mainland. In the Isles, a warm front will maintain rain showers across the southern United Kingdom, while a cold front ushers another swath of more moderate precipitation to the southeastern corner of the region. Additional chances of precipitation is anticipated in parts of Ireland as a weak frontal boundary from the eastern Atlantic Ocean moves inland. To the east, a cold front lifting northeastward across central France will drive light to moderate showers into Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, with strong thunderstorms possible in Belgium. Expect a few showers to linger in southwestern France and northeastern Spain through the day as onshore flow persists. Finally, a warm front extending across southern Sweden into the Baltic Sea to Latvia will support widely scattered light to moderate showers in Sweden through the morning. This activity will become more focused over Latvia later in the day as energy associated with this disturbance slides to the southeast.

Elsewhere, high pressure lingers over much of the eastern third of Europe with generally dry conditions and well above normal temperatures for this time of year. Heat Advisories and Warnings are expected for areas of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia northward through southern Poland.