Nationwide rain could bring an end to the UK’s ongoing dry spell in just a few days as Hurricane Erin continues to advance over the Atlantic Ocean.
Currently at category two, the hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 105mph as it heads northwards along the United States’ east coast.
This atmospheric activity could bring an “unsettled” period of weather to the UK in the coming days, the Met Office has said, especially in the North and West.
Independent forecasters predicted that countrywide rain could begin to hit the country from next Wednesday, with storms stretching as far as 600 miles as most of the nation is hit. At its heaviest, this rain could reach around 5mm an hour, but most regions will see between 0.2 and 3mm.
The Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist, Stephen Kocher, said: “A key feature to watch in the coming days is Hurricane Erin.
“We are closely watching Erin’s track, with the possibility of the UK feeling the effects of what would then be ex-hurricane Erin at some point next week, bringing an area of low pressure to the UK and more unsettled conditions.”
The expert says that there is “a lot of uncertainty at this stage”, adding: “It is possible we could see some wet and windy weather for the last week of August.
“We’ll be keeping a close eye on the movements of Hurricane Erin over the coming days and updating our forecasts accordingly.”
The cause of the uncertainty is the area of low pressure that Hurricane Erin will send towards the UK from across the Atlantic. This leads to unsettled weather conditions, while high pressure causes settled and fine weather conditions.
Brits will likely enjoy fine and dry weather owing to high pressure over the bank holiday, which will be “increasingly eroded” by the low pressure from the West in the following days, the Met Office said.
The UK has seen back-to-back heatwaves this summer, as European nations across the continent also grapple with high heat.
The Met Office has said that summer 2025 is shaping up to be the UK’s hottest on record, according to provisional statistics.
Met Office scientist, Emily Carlisle, said: “It’s looking like this summer is on track to be one of the warmest, if not ‘the’ warmest, since the series began in 1884. What’s striking is the consistency of the warmth. June and July were both well above average and even outside of heatwaves, temperatures have remained on the warmer side.”
In the coming week, dry weather is set to continue for most of the UK following last week’s high heats. Parts of the country could see temperatures reach 27C on Monday and Tuesday.
A northeasterly breeze means northern and eastern parts of the UK will be cooler on these days, reaching the low 20s.
The continued dry spell comes after officials warned England was suffering from “nationally significant” water shortfalls, despite rain in July.
Sunday’s highest temperature was 27.7C in Somerset, while West Sussex and Inverness in Scotland also reached 27C.
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