Will tropical storm put an end to the heatwave?
BRITAIN’s sweltering heatwave could come to a dramatic halt next week, with a potential hurricane from across the Atlantic sweeping in wind and rain.
Forecasters say a tropical storm, named Chris, is drifting towards the UK from the US east coast and will reach us by Monday. The MeteoGroup said the storm’s remnants are expected to ‘unsettle’ the hot temperatures but warned it was too early to reach any ‘definitive’ conclusions on whether it will turn into a hurricane.
Meteorologist Aidan McGivern 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. [By the weekend] Chris is likely to join the jet stream and its remnants are likely to be carried towards the UK.’ He said the ‘uncertainties’ were producing big differences in next week’s forecasts, with some showing low pressure bringing wind and rain, but added a common theme was that the weather looked more ‘changeable’ than recent weeks.
It is too early to say which regions of the country Chris will affect.
However, Britons have no need to lament the end of summer just yet, with much of the country remaining warm and dry. Today London and the South East are set to enjoy bright spells and highs of 26C (79F), with the mercury rising as we approach the weekend.
However, grey clouds and drizzle are expected to waft across the North, with temperatures of up to 24C (75F).
Highs of 27C are expected across the country on Friday, but this could give way to thunderstorms later in the evening. Britain’s balmy weather also appears to be giving the economy a much-needed boost. It grew by 0.3 per cent in May, according to Office for National Statistics figures released yesterday
An ONS spokesman said: ‘Services, in particular, grew robustly in May, with retailers enjoying a double boost from the warm weather and the royal wedding.’
‘Predicted to become a hurricane’