Downpours turn land green again... now for Storm Ernesto
AFTER the hot and dry spell reduced many lawns and beauty spots to scorched wastelands, England was finally back to its green and pleasant best yesterday.
But those enjoying the outdoors have now been warned to expect the remains of a sub-tropical storm with wet and windy weather over the weekend.
Sub-tropical storm Ernesto, named by the US National Hurricane Centre, is currently in the mid-Atlantic but is set to cross the UK tomorrow night.
Ahead of the storm, which will have weakened into an ordinary low pressure system by the time it reaches Britain, forecasters say there will be mostly dry and bright weather in central, southern and eastern England today, with temperatures as high as 23C (73F).
But in the North and West, a weather front is set to bring wind and outbreaks of rain, hitting north Wales and north west England by the late afternoon today. Tomorrow could be ‘quite warm’ with sunny spells, although breezy, in central, southern and eastern England with highs of 26 – 27C (79 – 81F), while further north and west it is likely to be mainly cloudy before the remains of the storm arrive.
Rachael West, from the Met Office, said: ‘The heaviest rain is due to north-west hit Northern England Ireland, Scotland, and north Wales. Within that area, there could be 30-50mm (1.2 to 2 inches) of rain.
‘In that area, the winds could reach a maximum strength of 40 – 45mph. Further south, it is likely to strong be cloudy winds of and up there to 35mph. could be ‘But because the system originates in sub-tropical air, it is likely to be muggy and humid in the at South, 26 – with 28C temperatures (79 – 82F). Further peaking north, especially where there is rain, temperatures are likely to only be in the high teens or low 20s Celsius.’ The rain is helping parched grass to recover after nearly two months of scorching weather in June and July. Satellite images issued by the Met Office in July showed how the colour of the UK had even changed when viewed from space – from lush green to brown and yellow. Into next week, it is likely to remain unsettled in the North and West on Monday and Tuesday, and drier and brighter further south.