The Fire and Ice Durham weather is really important, not just for the visitors but for the attractions themselves.
After all, when one of the main attractions of the festival is the Fire and Ice sculptures, carefully created by ice-carving experts, then the weather plays a very important role.
Too much sun or rain and the ice sculptures - so meticulously transported in specially refrigerated vans from Glacial Arts' warehouse in Liverpool - will quickly deteriorate. Get there much after the Durham Fire and Ice start time and there won't be much left to see.
But another, less obvious, weather factor that could affect Durham Fire and Ice is the wind; windy conditions can actually damage the Fire and Ice sculptures quicker than sun or rain. And while the ice sculptures will still be worth seeing, a generic outline of your favourite characters is not the same as when you can see every last detail carved into the ice.
Read next: Everything you need to know about Durham Fire and Ice
So what's the Fire and Ice Durham weather forecast for 2019?
Well, the good news is that rain looks very unlikely. The slight downside is that there will be a breeze and the temperature looks like it will be higher than it has been for a while. Typical: we hope for warmer weather, and it only comes on the two days we don't want it.
Is it going to be sunny?
Friday morning looks like cloudy with intervals, but after midday the sun is going to come out. Saturday will be sunny as soon as it's light and we'll enjoy cloudless skies for the whole day. Great for us, but maybe not so great for the Fire and Ice sculptures.
Read next: Find more events to look forward to in our Durham events guide
How hot will Durham's weather get over the two days?
The Durham Fire and Ice weather will start at 6-8̊C on Friday morning but will get up to 13 or 14̊C on Friday afternoon after about 1-2pm. Saturday February 23 will start at around 9̊C but will quickly rise to 13̊C from around midday, and will stay at that for the rest of Saturday.
And how about the wind?
Expect a mild breeze of 9-11mph on Friday, and a moderate breeze on Saturday of about 12-13mph.
So when am I best off going to Durham Fire and Ice?
As usual, the earlier you go the better. Even if the Durham Fire and Ice weather looks fairly kind, a block of ice standing outside for two days is bound to look its best at the start rather than the end.
The only cloud cover over Friday and Saturday will be Friday morning, while the temperatures will also increase from Friday lunchtime. The wind will also be slightly higher on Saturday. But still, no rain.
Feature image credit: Durham BID