Weather tracker: Europe blows hot and cold

Polar air brings snow to the UK and Finland while temperatures are forecast to reach 30C in southern Spain

A tumultuous week of weather has been affecting Europe, with a significant contrast between the north and south of the continent. Across parts of south-east Spain temperatures have been reaching the high 20s this week, and this weekend places such as Valencia and Alicante may reach 30C or a little higher. For Valencia this is about 10C above the climatological average for a mid-March day.

In stark contrast, northern Europe, particularly in parts of Finland and the UK, has been unseasonably cold, with polar air shooting southwards at times. So far this month, temperatures have been more than 2C below average around the UK, and on Thursday parts of northern England and Wales experienced the heaviest snow of the winter. Temperatures also dropped to -16C in northern Scotland.