We should count our blessings for just wind and rain
NEXT to the calamity in the Caribbean, with first Hurricane Irma bringing devastation, and now Hurricane Jose moving in from the Atlantic as Hurricane Katia gathers strength in the Gulf of Mexico, our home-grown weather problems seem very trivial indeed. Yes, a bit less rain and a bit more sun would be preferable, but it is surely a case right now of counting our blessings.
The pattern of late has been of a series of low pressure systems from the west dominating matters, bringing with them what can feel like a never-ending trail of rain and blustery conditions. One passed over the country yesterday, and already by the early hours of this morning the next is making landfall, with a band of rain in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
That rain will spread southeastwards, with blustery winds. There will be some patches of sun, most likely on the sheltered east coast, but make the most of them while they last.
London will have the best of the temperatures, 66F (19C), with 59F (15C) in Birmingham and 57F (14C) in Glasgow. As night comes, those winds will ratchet up, especially in the south-west corner of England, where they may reach gale force.
Rain and wind, with brief windows of sunshine, is set to be our lot at least until the middle of the week. After that, predictions are all up in the air – literally. One possibility is that high pressure will usher in a weekend of fine settled weather, blue skies, a chill when you are out of the sun, and even the possibility of frost in the north.
But that takes no account of the fallout of those hurricanes. Once they have done the worst to the Caribbean and the southern and eastern seaboards of the US, where they will go to blow themselves out is, as yet, unclear. If they head into the Atlantic, they may well have a knock-on effect on us. But it will be nothing compared to the damage they have already done.