Hot on Aileen’s heels ...a chilly Arctic blast
STORM-LASHED Britain is now on standby for chilly Arctic winds to send thermometers plunging this weekend.
A sharp change in the weather over the coming days will see stormy Atlantic winds replaced by a cold, northerly airflow.
Overnight frosts are possible in exposed regions as the mercury dips into single figures nationwide.
Much of the country faces a mixed bag of sunshine, showers and heavy rain in the run up to the weekend.
Britons woke to howling winds and rain as storm Aileen battered the nation through the early hours of yesterday.
Powerful 83mph gales hammered The Needles, off the Isle of Wight, while 73mph winds hit Mumbles, South Wales, as 63mph gusts were recorded around London.
Commuters faced rush-hour chaos with fallen branches littering roads and railway tracks.
Vented
Thousands of homes around the South-west and the North were left without electricity as the storm knocked out power supplies. Some areas were hit by flooding as the storm brought heavy rain.
Aileen vented most of her fury through Tuesday night before departing the UK yesterday morning.
The rest of the week will bring sunshine, showers and the odd rumble of thunder as northerly winds bring a much cooler feel to the country.
It will be a stark difference from this time last year when a mini-heatwave saw temperatures hit 93.92F (34.4C) at Gravesend, Kent.
Met Office forecaster Emma Sharples said isolated spots could see a weekend overnight frost as the mercury touches freezing.
She said: “We are now moving into a cooler, northerly airflow which will remain into the weekend. The rest of this week will see sunshine and showers although there could be some heavier, more persistent rain along the east cost and in parts of the South-west.
“There could also be a risk of thunder and hail and it won’t be until Monday morning until we see a generally drier picture.
“An Arctic maritime airflow from the north will bring a contrast from temperatures this time last year as it will feel cool. We could see the odd grass or air frost overnight on Friday and Saturday as the air temperatures drop to 0C.”
WeatherOnline forecaster Garry Nicholson said after a chilly weekend an upward turn in the weather is likely next week.
He said: “Heavy showers are forecast for the rest of this week and into the weekend as cool northerly winds affect the British Isles.
“Temperatures will be below average for mid-September.
“High pressure then builds slowly from the South-west, bringing drier and warmer weather into next week, but rain may return as the week goes on.”
Daytime temperatures will struggle to get much above low double figures during this weekend while the north will hover between 7C (44.6F) and 10C.
Bookmaker Coral last night slashed the odds on this month turning out to be a washout.
Spokesman John Hill said: “The odds continue to shorten on this autumn being the wettest on record while we have also seen money for snowfall at some point this month.”