UK
Hurricane Kirk remnants to bring heavy wind and rain to UK
The weather is set to take a turn for the worse later this week when the remnants of Hurricane Kirk reach the UK.
Recent weeks have seen severe flooding across parts of England as wet weather left towns and villages cut off.
It now appears the rain and wind are likely to return due to a low-pressure system moving in from across the Atlantic.
While Kirk was a major hurricane as of Sunday, it is set to weaken over the next few days, “morphing into a more typical” low-pressure system, Sky News meteorologist Christopher England said.
By the time Kirk, or what is left of it, arrives in northwest Europe on Wednesday and Thursday it will be an ex-hurricane, but is still forecast to bring heavy rain and strong wind.
There is currently high uncertainty but if it meets the UK criteria for a storm, there is a chance it could be named Storm Kirk.
“The current track and intensity is still uncertain, but recent models suggest Kirk will run into northern France, bringing heavy rain and strong damaging winds, perhaps as far south as northern Spain,” Mr England said.
“There remains about a 15% chance of 50mm (2in) or so of rain over the southeast of England, and a lower chance of twice that, but this is all subject to change.”
The Met Office also didn’t rule out issuing weather warnings.
The projected path of Hurricane Kirk
Monday and Tuesday will bring a mix of sunshine and showers – the heaviest in the west – with conditions drier in the east, until the remnants of Kirk hit later in the week.
Rain could become “disruptive”, the Met Office said.
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There are currently five flood warnings in place and 26 flood alerts.
But Mr England pointed out that the areas currently at risk of flooding are outside the regions with the highest risk of heavy rainfall from Kirk.
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Northern Lights
Over the weekend, forecasters said there was a chance of seeing the Northern Lights in parts of the UK but it appears to have not shown as much as it did earlier this year.
The largest solar flare in seven years was emitted by the Sun on Thursday but it seemingly wasn’t as visible on Earth as many hoped.
Rain and clouds could have hampered viewing.