The last days of August in the UK could be hit by heavy wind, rain and “very large waves” if the tail end of Hurricane Erin lashes the country, the Met Office has warned.
Forecasters are tracking the potential impact of Erin, which is now a category 2 storm moving eastwards across the North Atlantic, but say any effect on the UK would not happen until at least the middle of next week.
Tom Morgan, a Met Office meteorologist, said it was “too early for specific details about which parts of the country will see the windiest and wettest weather” but that the weather across Britain would experience a noticeable drop in the next week.
“What we can say is that it will gradually turn less hot and be more generally changeable,” said Morgan.
There could be thundery showers during parts of next week, with Thursday and Friday in particular more likely to be stormy. The rain, which could spread across the UK, would also bring an end to the country’s dry spell.
Morgan added: “Britain is likely to see some very large waves. Ex-hurricane Erin will bring quite a large swell in the sea so we could potentially see waves of 4 to 5 metres in height for the Western Isles of Scotland and Ireland and so for holidaymakers going to the coast, that could prove quite a hazard.”
However, Morgan said the potentially unsettled weather was still “a long way in the future” with spells of sunshine expected this weekend, which is a bank holiday for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Storm Erin has lost some strength in the past week as it moved along the east coast of North America, having previously been classified as a category 5, but has still caused more than 2,000 people to be evacuated in North Carolina and at least 60 swimmers to be rescued from rip currents at Wrightsville Beach on the state’s southern coast on Monday.
