London set for heavy rains as Hurricane Ernesto puts dampener on summer holidays

The UK is set to be battered by the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto this week, with heavy winds and rain set to put a dampener on the August summer holidays.

Hurricane Ernesto tore through the North Atlantic earlier this week, with winds of up to 100mph wreaking havoc in Bermuda and Puerto Rico and leaving thousands without power.

But although the hurricane has since been downgraded to a tropical storm and will weaken further as it moves across the Atlantic on Tuesday, remnants of the storm are set to bring an end to the heatwave which has blanketed Britain for the past several weeks.

The Met Office has now issued a series of heavy rain warnings across the UK this week, with unsettled outbreaks of rain or showers spreading in from the west, the forecaster said. 

The north-west is likely to see some of the wettest weather this week, with the southeast tending to be drier. Strong winds of up to 60mph are also likely to start on Friday, mostly affecting the west and north of the country.

Meanwhile, Ernesto’s remnants will be felt most heavily in south-east Scotland, where a yellow rain warning will be in place from Monday afternoon onwards.

Forecasters have issued two yellow weather warnings for rain in Scotland, with up to 150mm expected to fall over some hills and 75 to 100mm more widely within a 24-hour period.

Some parts of the Highlands are expected to see more rain this weekend than the entirety of August, which typically records around 100mm over the month.

Andy Page, Chief Meteorologist with the Met Office, said: ‘During Monday, the band of rain will gradually move east across the UK. Within the warning area we can expect to see 25-35 mm of rain, with some of the wettest areas receiving up to 60 mm. The rain will be accompanied by strong southerly winds.’

Tuesday will see a temporary return to bright and breezy conditions with scattered showers, some of which will be heavy.  

Deputy Chief Meteorologist Tony Wisson added: ‘Newspaper headlines suggesting that Ernesto itself is set to batter Britain aren’t accurate. The once powerful system itself will break down before it reaches us, but the warmth and moisture it once contained will become entrained within a mid-latitude frontal weather system. This will lead to unsettled conditions for the UK, especially across the north and west, with heavy rain and strong winds expected here.’

He added: ‘Although August is usually associated with fine and settled weather, wet and windy weather such as this aren’t uncommon, as seen in previous years.’

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