by Keith Wilkinson

Hello,

It looks like it’s going to be a cracking Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

The Met Office predicting mainly fine, dry and warm conditions for most parts of the UK this Easter weekend.

Are you fed up of this wind yet? It’s been seriously blowy today particularly in the North East and North Yorkshire. We experienced gusts of 78mph at Loftus in North Yorkshire and a whopping 86mph on Great Dun Fell on the North Pennines.

The weather also resulted in this fabulous picture from Chris Percival. Now what do you think this looks like?

We’ ve had interesting cloud formations but this is something else. Chris was out with her photography group earlier today in Stanhope, County Durham, when she spotted the leaves blowing around in the strong winds.

Keep your pics coming in to pip@itv.com and catch me every week day on ITV’s North East Tonight.

You can also follow me on Twitter: @piptomsonITV

Herrington Country Park, nr Sunderland, by Ian Cook

In like a Lion, out like a lamb. That’s one of the weather proverbs for the month of March. Of course, there’s no truth to any of these sayings but sometimes the weather does match the old adage.

I’m  not convinced that that is entirely true this month. If anything, March is going out like a lion with persistent rain on the way tomorrow (WED).

Met Office chief forecaster Martin Young tells us: “The changes to more unsettled conditions follow a dry spell over large parts of the UK. Some locations have only seen a few millimetres of rain during March but these totals will be added to by the end of the month.”

So with April just around the corner, what can we expect from the weather? Well indications are that we’ll see a return to average rainfall amounts with southern and eastern parts of the UK seeing the most of any dry weather.

Pip x

Hello,

Hope you had a good weekend and remembered to put your clocks forward! 

I’m highlighting more funny road signs from around the region this week so tune in to North East Tonight at 6pm.

Here’s a corker sent in by Mike Bird from Shildon in County Durham. His wife is clearly very understanding:

Hope you’re looking forward to the weekend even though it might feel a bit chilly.

Don’t forget that the clocks go forward at 1am on Sunday so we can look forward to lighter nights now.

Thanks for your great response to my funny signs appeal. Some are far too rude to show on this blog and on the television though! Here’s one that is clean and hope it makes you smile!

Walter Baxter, from Galashiels, saw this at Chatto on the western side of the Cheviots.

If you see any more over the next few days then do send them in to pip@itv.com

Have a great weekend, Pip x

Durham University woods by Gregg Little

It’s official. Durham is the warmest place in the country so far this year. Temperatures hovered at 19C which is 66 degrees fahrenheit and positively balmy for this time of year.

The March average is normally 9C.

I doubt the city will hold onto the record for long because mild weather continues in the south tomorrow. Here, however, it’s set to get colder again and more cloudy. Never mind, we have been very spoilt! I’ll keep you posted on the return of the warmer weather though it’s looking unlikely for next week.

Take care,

Pip x

March 21st traditional marks the start of spring and the days should start to get a little longer now.

It’s set to be a fairly quiet week but we’ll be chasing that cloud around and the best of the sunshine will be in the east. And we should experience some mild temperatures . This afternoon the thermometer reached 16 celsius in Durham which is above the average for this time of year.

Tune into North East Tonight at 6pm when I’ll be showing some viewers’ pictures of that super moon – the closest the moon has come to planet earth since 1983.

Here’s a taster:

by Allan Murray

Have a good week!

Pip x

Hello!

It makes a change to be talking about wall to wall sunshine for Friday (March 18th) but that’s what we’re getting. It’s expected to be an absolutely glorious morning over the North East and North Yorkshire as well as Cumbria and southern Scotland.

A little bit more cloud bubbling up in Northumberland later with a few showers possible over southern Scotland. Overall though it’s a lovely Friday so enjoy it.

Oh and some of you might have heard it’s a full moon on Saturday night. Get your cameras ready. The moon will be the closest to the earth it’s been since 1983.

Pip x

Hello,

Heavy snow expected tonight in Northumberland, especially on the Cheviots where up to 10cm (4 inches) is possible. It could make driving conditions tricky so do be careful.

The snow risk should clear during tomorrow morning when the white stuff reverts back to rain.

The rest of the weekend is looking fairly cloudy and chilly everywhere with rain at times.

Do enjoy your weekend though. I’m off to a posh do!

Pip x

Hello,

Hope you weren’t too battered by those strong winds! Yet again, the weather could be interesting again tomorrow.

Just because it’s March doesn’t mean we avoid getting snow. And parts of Northumberland could potentially experience some of the white stuff tomorrow afternoon and evening (FRI).

Elsewhere it will be another blustery day with showers turning increasingly into longer spells of rain.

Do keep up to date with the weather forecasts and take care.

Pip x