UK ‘more like autumn’ as thunderstorms and high speed winds batter the country
The relentlessly grim weather across the UK is showing no signs of letting up with yet more bleak conditions expected.
Met Office warnings are in place for thunderstorms, ‘unseasonably’ strong winds and torrential rain for much of the country today.
Experts have admitted the long period of misery we’re experiencing is ‘more like autumn’ than summer.
Large swathes of England and Wales are covered by a yellow alert for thunderstorms and forecasters have warned buildings could be damaged by lightning strikes.
Adverse weather is also expected to cause standing surface water and possible hail, which will impact travel on the roads and railway lines – loss of power is also likely.
The entire south coast is covered by a Met Office warning for high speed winds in excess of 60mph in the south west.
Mike Kendon, of the Met Office, told Sky News: ‘The jet stream has been shifted to the south of the UK for much of the month, simultaneously allowing extreme heat to build in southern Europe for a time, but also allowing a succession of low pressure systems to influence the UK, with long periods of winds and rain that many more typically associate with autumn weather.’
A thunderstorm warning is in place in an area stretching from London to Cardiff and as far north as Manchester from 9am to 7pm today.
Meanwhile, the wind warning from Cornwall right across to Kent is in effect from 4am to 6pm today.
Met Office chief meteorologist Dan Suri said: ‘An unseasonably deep area of low pressure for the time of year will move into Ireland during the early hours of Wednesday then continue across Wales and England during Wednesday daytime.
‘Heavy rain associated with this low will affect large parts of the UK tonight and on Wednesday, some of the heaviest rain occurring on Wednesday over central parts of England and Wales where some locations could see 40mm of rain in just a few hours from thundery downpours.’
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis has warned of the potentially dangerous road conditions.
He said: ‘The distinctly autumnal feel to this summer continues this week, with yet more heavy rain and strong winds making driving conditions challenging.
‘Drivers attempting to drive through patches of standing water risk losing control, so the best course of action is to slow down and carefully avoid them whenever possible.
‘As the wind will be especially strong along southern coasts, drivers towing caravans will need to be cautious while those carrying items on the roof should make sure these are properly secured.’
The Met Office has also warned we are ‘unlikely’ to see much improvement this year and the chance of a heatwave is all but off the cards.
A spokesman said: ‘Looking ahead to the rest of August, there are some early signals for at least a brief spell of something a little warmer and more settled to develop towards the end of next week, most likely for southern areas.
‘However, it remains that the greatest chance of seeing anything more widely settled would be through the second part of August, although this may be accompanied by an increasing risk of thundery showers.
‘With unsettled conditions never too far away, it looks unlikely that we will see any prolonged or excessive heat, with the chance of heatwaves here in the UK being lower than some recent Augusts.’
Meteorologists say the unusual behaviour of the Jet Stream is to blame for the lack of sunny British summer weather this year – and its extreme contrast with the blistering heatwave gripping southern Europe.
While the strong band of winds typically lies to the north of the UK at this time of year, it has recently shifted southwards, and is currently stuck in a position near the English Channel.
Dr Chloe Brimicombe, a climate scientist and extreme heat researcher at the University of Graz, told Metro: ‘The reason the UK is not experiencing the heatwave is because the current pressure pattern puts the country in a dominant low pressure.
‘The atmosphere is always trying to reach equilibrium and so we have a constant pattern of high and low pressures.’
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