As we leave the long Easter weekend, the weather forecast for the next few days promises to be a mixed bag of scattered showers, spells of rain, and occasional brighter spells.

Today, we can expect scattered showers or locally longer spells of rain initially, which could become heavy for a time toward midday. Mostly cloudy conditions will give way to a brighter afternoon, especially further south, but with scattered showers continuing. The maximum temperature is expected to be 12°C.

Tonight, we'll see a bright start to the evening with isolated showers. However, the cloud will thicken from the south later, with outbreaks of rain arriving overnight. The cloud will lower to hill fog, and we can expect light and variable winds. The minimum temperature will be around 4°C.

Moving on to Wednesday, the weather will be cloudy and wet, with spells of rain, which could be heavy at times. Later in the afternoon, we can expect bands of heavy showers with hail and thunder in the south. The winds will be variable, and the maximum temperature will be around 10°C.

Looking ahead, the weather is expected to be changeable with showers or more prolonged spells of rain at times, heavy in places, but also some brighter spells. Friday and Saturday are likely to be windy, but temperatures are expected to trend above average.

Get the latest news, sports, and entertainment delivered straight to your device by subscribing to The Northern Echo here. 

Here’s your hour-by-hour forecast for Bank Holiday Monday:

The forecast is based on Darlington as the selected location.

7am: 5C with 10% chance of rain

10am: 6C with 10% chance of rain

9am: 6C with 10% chance of rain

10am: 7C with 10% chance of rain

11am: 7C with 50% chance of rain

12pm: 8C with less than 50% chance of rain

1pm: 8C with 10% chance of rain

2pm: 9C with 10% chance of rain

3pm: 10C with 10% chance of rain

4pm: 10C with 500% chance of rain

5pm: 10C with 50% chance of rain

6pm: 10C with 10% chance of rain

7pm: 10C with less than 5% chance of rain

8pm: 9C with less than 5% chance of rain

9pm: 8C with less than 5% chance of rain

10pm: 8C with 10% chance of rain