Cyclone looms as summer prepares its last hurrah
THE chilly nights of the past week have offered a first hint of the onset of autumn, with yesterday the first day of the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness according to the meteorological calendar.
But the unusually hot summer of 2018 still has some fight left in it. The week ahead is set to see temperatures soaring once more as warm, settled weather takes hold in many parts. No need to turn the heating on just yet.
High pressure, blowing in on south-westerly breezes from the Azores will push the mercury up today, especially in the South East, East Anglia and the Midlands. London will get up to 75F (24C), Norwich, Hull and Birmingham 73F (23C).
Elsewhere, the influence of low pressure systems in the North Atlantic will be more evident as a band of rain makes landfall from the north-west. After a sunny start in Northern Ireland and much of Scotland, prepare yourself for something damper in the afternoon, with Belfast at 66F (19C).
That wet, cloudy front will make its way down over much of the country overnight, bringing back a cooler, fresher feel as the working week begins. Once it has passed – and some areas, particularly in the South East may escape it altogether – things should turn fine and settled, with temperatures up to 79F (26C), on Tuesday and Wednesday, well above the seasonal average. The Jet Stream, the high atmosphere air currents that blow west to east across the Atlantic and exert so much influence on our weather, will be up to the north of the UK in the coming week, allowing us to draw warmth from southern Europe.
Enjoy this Indian summer while it lasts. In the US a powerful tropical cyclone is brewing. Some advance warnings suggest it may head our way after next weekend and could be even stronger than the category three Storm Ophelia which hit parts of the UK last October with 55mph winds.