3 weeks ago
13
Wet and windy weather could be on the way for the final days of the summer holidays as the tail end of Hurricane Erin may disrupt the UK’s dry spell.
Forecasters are tracking the potential impact of Erin, which is currently a category two storm moving eastwards across the North Atlantic, but say any effect on the UK would not happen until at least the middle of next week.
The Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “It is too early for specific details about which parts of the country will see the windiest and wettest weather. What we can say is that it will gradually turn less hot and be more generally changeable.”
It means there could be thundery showers from Wednesday and “more especially” on Thursday and Friday next week, at which point the weather system will officially be an ex-hurricane.
Morgan added: “We are also likely to see some very large waves. Ex-hurricane Erin will bring quite a large swell in the sea so we could potentially see waves of 4 to 5 metres in height for the western isles of Scotland and Ireland, and so for holidaymakers going to the coast that could prove quite a hazard.”
He said this potentially unsettled weather was still “a long way in the future” and a spell of sunshine is due over the coming days for the long bank holiday weekend in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Earlier this week, Erin lost some of its strength from previous days and dropped to a category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105mph, the National Hurricane Centre in Miami said. By Tuesday, it was about 650 miles (1,050km) south-west of Bermuda.
Rough ocean conditions along the US east coast led to at least 60 swimmers being rescued from rip currents on Monday at Wrightsville Beach, near Wilmington, North Carolina.
At present, UK temperatures are on the rise and could reach 24C or 25C in a few spots on Sunday across many regions, from the south of England up to the east of Scotland.
Morgan said: “It’s looking fine, dry and there will be quite a bit of warm sunshine around, particularly on Sunday and on bank holiday Monday.
“For festivals and outdoor events, the weather should not cause any disruption. It’s looking very summer-like and really pleasant to warm for most.”
