BRITS are bracing themselves for more heavy rain and strong winds as the remnants of Hurricane Kirk head towards the UK.
The Met Office warned of highly “unsettled” conditions over the weekend and into next week just days after flash flooding hit parts of the nation.
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Earlier this week the Environment Agency issued 64 red flood warnings and 157 amber flood alerts across England.
Now, there are concerns that remnants of Hurricane Kirk could bring further spells of “wet and windy” weather.
The hurricane is currently in the mid-Atlantic and is expected to make its way eastwards towards Europe.
As it does so, it will travel to more northern and cooler waters, which reduces the strength of the storm, according to Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern.
Hurricanes are fuelled by warmer water but as soon as the temperature drops below 26.5°C, they lose “source of fuel.”
Typically, the storms then quickly die off as a result.
However, it is a different story if the storms then encounter the jet stream, which Kirk is expected to do.
Here, Hurricane Kirk could then transform into an extra tropical cyclone which could cause some “issues” to the UK.
Already we expect to see unsettled conditions in the first part of next week as an “Atlantic low pressure system” drifts eastwards across the UK.
The Met Office said: “This will bring widely unsettled conditions, with showers or longer spells of rain, heavy and persistent at times, especially over hills.
“Strong winds are possible too, with exposed and windward coastal areas prone to the strongest winds.
“The theme of low pressure will continue to dominate the weather for the rest of the week, with showers or longer spells of rain.”
It also warned of the possibility of the deeper low pressure system of ex-Hurricane Kirk bringing further wet and windy weather to the UK.
However, it added that this system could remain to the west of the UK but that the theme of unsettled weather is still expected to prevail.
The Met Office’s Deputy Chief Meteorologist Tony Wisson said: “Hurricane Kirk is currently in the tropical Atlantic. It is expected to move north into cooler waters, where it will lose a lot of its strength, but maintain its identity as a moderately deep low pressure system.
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“There are complex processes involved when a hurricane undergoes what is known as ‘extra tropical transition’.
“This results in a lot of variability in the forecast, which means that predictability is low at longer lead times. Therefore, confidence in any one scenario is very low.”
Mr Wisson continued: “There are a few apparent scenarios. One scenario suggests that this low pressure system could come close to, or even cross, the UK by Wednesday or Thursday next week.
“This would lead to heavy rain and strong winds in places. Another scenario is for the low pressure system to stay further west in the mid-Atlantic, keeping much of the associated rain and wind away from the UK.
“Other possibilities are also apparent, but we need to wait until we have more information, to determine which scenario will win out.”
Three-day weather forecast
Here’s the outlook for the weather over the next few days, according to the Met Office
Tonight:
Remaining settled this evening with clear skies allowing mist and fog to return to rural parts overnight. Turning chilly in the early hours with a risk of frost by dawn.
Friday:
Dry with plenty of sunny spells for many on Friday. Cloudier in the far west with patchy rain, especially over Northern Ireland and western Scotland, where it will be breezy.
Saturday:
Dry in the east, wet in the west on Saturday, before rain moves erratically eastwards overnight.
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