Most of Thursday will still have slow to moderate westerly, south-westerly winds, which will start to pick up in the evening, gusting to around 20 meters per second (m/s) on the western coast of Kurzeme. On Friday, winds will continue to increase, gusting to 14-19 m/s across the country during the night and morning, and up to 20-23 m/s along the coast. In the east of the country, the wind will ease in the evening and mid-afternoon, while in Kurzeme, including the Gulf of Riga coast, it will turn from the northwest.
Gusts will reach 25-27 m/s late Friday evening and overnight into Saturday.
On the coast, north-westerly wind gusts above 20 m/s will persist through Saturday, beginning to ease in the late evening, before turning from the southeast on Sunday and picking up again, reaching slightly above 20 m/s on the coast.
Winds will cause minor damage over the weekend, some branches and trees can break, power lines can be interrupted.
Air temperatures on Thursday and Friday will be mostly in the 7-14 degree range but will turn much colder on Friday evening when rain will be joined by wet snow in many places.
Temperatures will drop to zero overnight on Saturday, with daytime temperatures at just +3 C to +8 C.
Sunday night will be the coldest of the week, with temperatures dropping to -2 C to +3 C, around +4 C to +6 C on the coast. Roads will be icy in many parts of Vidzeme and Latgale.
The heaviest precipitation over the weekend is expected on Friday and Saturday in Vidzeme, especially in the regions close to the Gulf of Riga, and both rain and snow may be accompanied by thunderstorms in places.
The ground will be white in places, but persistent snow is not forecast.
Drivers should be aware that visibility will be impaired and roads will become slippery in places, so they should take extra care driving if their cars are not yet equipped with winter tires.
