A major hurricane is expected to sweep across the Atlantic this week, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to UK shores. Hurricane Humberto brought winds of up to 260km to the Caribbean over the weekend and was previously expected to head for the US. Meteorologists now believe it will move across the Atlantic to the Irish coast in the coming days, weakening by the time it reaches the UK, but still expected to usher in disruptive stormy weather.
It comes as Hurricane Imelda continues to form in the Caribbean area, although forecasters think the tropical storm will predominantly impact the lower east coast of the US rather than moving over to Europe. The combined impact of the two weather phenomena could shake up the UK’s early autumn forecasts, the Met Office has warned. The beginning of October will be characterised by “weather systems running in from the Atlantic,” a spokesperson said.
“This period could begin with some very disturbed weather for the British isles, with a deep low [pressure area] probably passing to the north or northwest of the country,” the forecaster continued.
“This means there is potential for very strong winds and some further heavy rain, especially for more northern areas [while] southern areas stand a better chance of seeing longer, drier interludes.”
“Confidence in the details remains on the low side, owing to ongoing Atlantic tropical cyclone activity,” the Met Office warned.
The stormy weather could batter Irish coastlines on Friday, according to Met Éireann, the Irish Meteorological Service, with the island nation wedged between a low pressure area in the Atlantic and high pressure area in Scandinavia, bringing wet and windy conditions to eastern and western regions in particular.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for persistent and heavy rain in western Scotland from October 1 to October 3, cautioning that up to 250 mm of water could accumulate by the end of the week.
The unsettled front could cause flooding and transport disruption and lead to loss of power, road closures and a danger to life, residents have been warned.
Rain is expected to turn heavy across northwestern parts of the UK as a whole from Wednesday onwards, accompanied by strong winds and a retreat of sunshine and clear skies right across the country.
The disruptive weather could set a precedent for the rest of the month, with forecasts suggesting that “frequent bouts” of rain and wind will continue to dominate “a greater portion” of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
