HURRICANE Erin could reach the UK as early as next week, but what sort of impact could the tropical storm have on Scotland?
This summer has seen a range of extreme weather events wreaking havoc in Scotland, from a range of devastating wildfires across the country to the unseasonable Storm Floris.
The remnants of Hurricane Erin, which has ranged between category three and two hurricanes east of the Bahamas, could bring more unsettled weather to the UK as early as this weekend.
'Lots of uncertainty'
Current seven-day forecasts show the late summer sunshine continuing relatively unfettered in Scotland, but Met Office chiefs say they’re keeping an eye on how the tropical storm develops.
“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,” deputy chief meteorologist Stephen Kocher explained.
“This is still a week away however, so there is lots of uncertainty in the forecast, but 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.”
As it passes the east of Canada, Hurricane Erin is “likely to push its way across the Atlantic,” Alex Burkill from the Met Office said.
'Changeable weather'
According to reports from The Independent, the atmospheric activity from the storm would most likely cause a period of “changeable” weather, particularly in Scotland.
If what's left of Erin gets caught in a jet stream, it could be swept toward the UK or western Europe, arriving as a powerful low-pressure system. Although it would no longer qualify as a tropical storm, it could still deliver heavy rainfall, strong winds and rough seas.
As such, independent forecasters predict the low pressure could bring anywhere from 0.2mm to 5mm of rain per hour.
So for now, Hurricane Erin poses only a mild risk to the rest of Scotland’s summer, but due to the unpredictable nature of a tropical storm like this, it’s worth keeping tabs on changing forecasts.
