Hurricane Lee to propel Atlantic storm chaos to Britain in matter of days

UK Weather: Sunshine and some showers

Fierce Hurricane Lee is under the watchful eye of the world’s forecasters as its powerful force threatens large swathes of the American coastline. 

Lee, currently a category 3 storm, is set to bring torrential rain and rip-tides with brutal winds hitting speeds of 115mph this weekend. And, while its impacts will centre on the US, the UK feel some of the force next week.

Jim Dale, a senior forecaster for British Weather Services said he is waiting to see how the ex-tropical storm will play out this weekend – but he suspects it will bring a wrath of lesser-impactful wind and rain to Britain in the coming days.

This will see an end to a mini-heatwave set to roast Britain this weekend.

While the UK is surrounded by cool seas, making it impossible for a hurricane to gather momentum, the country often feels the impacts of ex-storms and hurricanes after they have dissipated in the Atlantic. 

The last hot spell which saw Britain sizzle in 30C and above at the end of last week was thanks to Hurricane Franklin’s tropical air which propelled across the north Atlantic before sweltering the nation. 

READ MORE: New maps turn red as Britain to boil again with scorching 80F heat returning

The UK’s weather next week

Mr Dale told the Express: “It could cause a mix in the Atlantic of semi tropical air. But, my estimate is increasing heavy rainfall next week for UK.”

And his predictions are bolstered by weather maps which show sporadic showers smashing into Britain from Monday – just two days after the south east of England will have sweltered in balmy 28C heat.

The heaviest bout of rainfall will however arrive on Thursday, as maps illustrate, with only places such as Newcastle, Edinburgh and Inverness likely to escape its chaos. 

By 3pm on Thursday the nation is likely to feel the effects of heavy showers, with the Met Office not ruling out thunderstorms, either. 

What the Met Office says

In its outlook for next week, the Met Office says: “This is likely to be a predominantly unsettled period beginning with fairly widespread rain or thundery showers, the latter especially for parts of England and Wales.

“These will be tied into a warm, humid air mass which should clear to the east early in this period.

“Thereafter, more of an Atlantic influence looks most likely, with the potential for quite deep areas of low pressure run close by or even over the UK, bringing with them the risk of strong winds and heavy rain.

“How this evolves is currently very uncertain and tied into systems currently in the subtropical Atlantic. After a warm start to the period, especially in the south, temperatures generally look to be close to average, although some further warm spells are likely at times.”

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Hurricane Lee’s current predictions

Currently, the hurricane is centred several hundred miles south of Bermuda, the Weather Channel reports, but it is moving to the north and northwest. 

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Bermuda, but with others potentially being issued today. These could engulf eastern New England and Atlantic Canada, the National Hurricane Center said. 

The hurricane itself is not actually clear cut – it will weaken later this week before strengthening back up again, with the size of its winds being of particular note.

Its wind span could keep growing which means its wrath may be felt across a larger area.

The UK will need to wait until later this week or into the weekend for confidence to predict exactly how its aftermath will affect the nation. 

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