South will trump north for warmth thanks to Gert
MORE bad news blowing in from America. For once though, the source is not the 45th president of the United States, although perhaps comparable in terms of girth and ability to disrupt an otherwise clement day.
The tail end of Hurricane Gert, which rode in this week on the jet stream across the Atlantic, continues to inflict disjointed weather across the British Isles. The category two hurricane is the second named storm of the 2017 season in the Atlantic, and the strongest yet.
And like the president himself, it’s set to divide a nation. Northern and western areas can expect bad weather, lashings of heavy rain, spoiled picnics and ruffled hair. Those in the south and east of England will miss the storm and enjoy sunshine and balmy temperatures rising up to 80F (27C) tomorrow. Thank Gert for this much-needed injection of warm Caribbean air, carried in on her coat tails. If thermometers reach 80F tomorrow, it will be the warmest day of August so far.
Why Gert? Well, World Meteorological Organisation protocol dictates six lists of male and female names are used in rotation for naming hurricanes. The idea being that a short, easily remembered name sticks in the memory and is swifter to communicate. We last saw a member of the Hurricane Gert family in 1999 when it formed off the coast of Africa and reached peak wind speeds of 150mph in the open central Atlantic. Lesser tropical storm Gerts have made appearances in 2011 and 2005.
Those in the north will be glad to know a return to fresher temperatures and settled conditions will resume from midweek. The jury, sadly, is still out for the bank holiday weekend. India Sturgis