Laura has just hit the US as a Cat. 4 hurricane. Here in the UK, we have some more rain today and on Friday but drier weather for the Bank Holiday weekend, just not that warm.
Today, the southern states of America will be waking to see the damage inflicted by Hurricane Laura overnight. The category 4. hurricane (only 7mph off Cat 5 at one point) made landfall in Louisiana, east of Houston but with storm surge inundating the coast for miles, eastern Texas and along the Louisiana coastline on the NW coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Gusts over 130mph have been recorded.
“Eyewall of #Laura pushing inland across southwestern Louisiana. Catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds & flash flooding ongoing.” NHC
Back in the UK, we’ve had a quieter spell of weather midweek, but a new low pressure is moving in which will bring more unsettled conditions for today and Friday. This clears eastwards for the weekend as high pressure takes over and the weather becomes dry and fair but there will be a cool northerly flow, so temperatures remain subdued.
The low for today and tomorrow has plenty of rain bands around it. Many areas become grey and damp today but with light winds. Temperatures stay in the teens and you may feel cold, you may have to reach for that jumper.
However whirling around there low will be heavier bursts of rain, coming in from the west for Cumbria, Wales – still wet from storm Francis earlier this week and through the afternoon heavier rain over southern England moving from the West Country eastwards. Looking wet for SE England and East Anglia this evening. The winds will be blustery as the rain moves through along the coasts and for hills as a westerly pick up along the English Channel today.
By this evening as the main area of heavy rain clears Kent, there will still be cloudy skies and outbreaks of rain over northern Britain and Northern Ireland rotating around in a more east to north-easterly flow. In the flow off the North Sea, NE England and SE Scotland become wet and murky overnight
The low centre will be pulling away over the southern North Sea and Low countries by Friday morning with clearer skies for the north of Scotland. Elsewhere there will be mixed picture with lingering bands of rain over central Britain, showery bursts and bright spells as the flow begins to back to a northerly. Through the day, it is almost like sweeping up crumbs with a brush, the rain and showers clear from Scotland and Northern Ireland but littering England and Wales, slowly collecting over eastern England into the evening. Some of these showers will be heavy, slow-moving and even thundery. All the time the cooler northerly winds will be digging in.
If you are thinking about camping for the long weekend there will be plenty of fair weather, but it will be cold by night. Take a woolly hat.
Weekend
This low off becoming centred over Denmark will keep our winds from the north on Saturday but also it will be windy for parts of eastern England and across the English Channel. Many areas become dry and bright but there will still be a scattering of showers moving down on the winds. Eastern England again looks prone. It will be chilly in the north on Saturday night
By Sunday a ridge of high pressure will be over the UK and so it looks like a fair, bright day with sunny spells but still temperatures in the teens or just 20 or 21C in the south. In the sunshine with the light winds, this could still feel pleasant at times. It won’t be anywhere near as windy for East Anglia on Sunday, but the northerly wind does continue.
Monday starts off fine for most but again feeling cool. There is a weather front moving in from the Atlantic bringing more cloud, a band of rain and freshening winds. The current forecast shows this over Northern Ireland by Monday afternoon so for those off for Bank Holiday Monday, there should be some fine weather to enjoy, just chilly in the evenings.
Main photo today - Port Stewart, Northern Ireland
