A nation divided as first signs of winter appear
IF YESTERDAY’S wet, cool and – especially in Scotland – windy conditions were not sufficient warning that our Indian Summer must one day soon come to an end, then the announcement by the Met Office that, with the public’s help, it had prepared its list of storm names for the winter months ahead surely is. Now we have turned the corner into October, how long will it be until we make the acquaintance of Storms Angus, Barbara, Conor, Doris and Ewan?
Well, not today at least, or indeed in the week ahead. Instead, a short break in the procession of low pressure systems that have been heading in from the Atlantic in traditional autumn fashion will allow a ridge of high pressure from the south to dart in, bringing temperatures from 57F (14C) in Glasgow, 61F (16C) in Plymouth and 64F (18C) in London. There may be a touch of frost first thing, but the rain should keep away.
And in the week to come, we will once again be a nation split in half by the positioning of the jet stream high above us. This crucial air current is blowing over the north-west of Scotland for most of the week, bringing rain and a decided chill in its wake. But in the south and east of the UK those warm winds from continental Europe that have done so much of late to improve on the monthly averages will continue to work their magic.
Expect around 68F (20C) across London, the Home Counties and East Anglia, with plenty of daytime sunshine and those wonderful pink, red and orange autumn sunsets. But as the week wears on, the jet stream will flatten out across the whole country, putting a cloud over us all.