Daily Express

Now parched UK’s on hurricane alert

- By News Reporter

A HURRICANE across the Atlantic could bring muchneeded rain but heavy winds to parched Britain next week.

But how big the effect will be on our weather is baffling forecaster­s.

Tropical storm Chris, which is building to hurricane force on the US east coast, will influence our weather, the Met Office said.

But its spokeswoma­n Nicola Maxey added: “We cannot tell what that influence will be at the moment because it is still developing.”

There is still uncertaint­y about the hurricane’s possible track.

Meteorolog­ist Aidan McGivern, in a Met Office Facebook post, said: “Developmen­ts on the other side of the pond could very well disrupt weather patterns in the vicinity of the UK.

“Tropical storm Chris is predicted to become a hurricane and move north over the next few days.”

He added: “Chris is likely to join the jet stream and its remnants are likely to be carried towards the UK.

“Those uncertaint­ies mean there are big difference­s in the forecast for the start of next week. One projection showing low pressure just to the west of the UK is bringing wind and rain, but on another Chris is barely there.

“One common theme emerging from the start of next week is that low pressure will be a little closer and the weather will turn more changeable than we have seen recently.”

Although the rain is on the way, it is still too early to write off the summer as warm weather is still expected over the coming week.

Average summer temperatur­es are 66F (19C) but parts of the UK have seen the mid-80s, said Ms Maxey.

She said a blip in the hot weather, which is not down to tropical storm Chris, is causing temperatur­es in the South-east to drop to about 73-77F and to 69-71F in Birmingham or 62-64F in Newcastle.

She added: “Temperatur­es will increase a few degrees towards the weekend.

“Next week, after former hurricane Chris has passed through, we are looking at weather that is more mobile or normal for this time of year but that is not to say that we will not have another hot spell of weather.”

She said that hurricanes like Chris affect Britain regularly in summer.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom