A powerful jet stream is about to make London weather even less bearable
The weather is about to get windier, which doesn’t bode well for those running ice cream vans.
The Met Office forecast that this week the jet stream above us will strengthen, steering low pressure in our direction and bringing stronger winds.
Weather maps of the week to come show powerful winds to the west of the UK, battering the coast of Ireland and sweeping close to Cornwall by Tuesday.
Friday could see gusts of up to 40mph in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with around 30mph in central England and and the South and 28mph in London.
Jet streams are a bands of strong westerly winds circling around five to seven miles above the Earth’s surface.
The one which affects us most it the polar jet stream, and it helps to give the UK it’s generally temperate climate, containing the cold air above the Arctic.
The strength of the jet stream is determined by how great the temperature differences are to its north and south.
Normally, the jet stream is stronger in winter because the wintery Pole is much colder than the Equator.
Forecaster Alex Burkill said there had been intense, thundery rain in some areas yesterday.
He said today there will be further showers coming through and ‘fresher air’ thatwill make it sleeping feel more comfortable than the warm and muggy nights many have experienced.
‘We have plenty of showers across Scotland and Northern Ireland and some blustery winds,’ Mr Burkill said of today’s forecast.
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Those further south have the best chance of avoiding the rain, but maybe not entirely, with a bit more cloud expected and ‘brisk winds around with the strongest towards the north west.
Thursday and Friday are expected to see still more rain sweeping in from the west, so a renewed heatwave is not going to happen right away.
‘It’s going to feel a little cool for early August,’ the forecaster said.
July was already cooler than average when looking at temperatures in the UK since 1991.
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