London is set for a double whammy of wind and a ‘heavy swathe’ of rain
London is set for a double whammy of yellow wind and rain warnings from the Met Office tomorrow (Thursday, October 23) as a deepening area of low pressure promises to bring ‘complex’ stormy weather across much of southern England, with winds of 48mph and a ‘heavy swathe’ of rain.
Today (Wednesday) promises to be a mild and largely dry day, with a top temperature of around 14C this afternoon. However, heavy showers will kick off at around 8pm and will increase in intensity as we head into midnight, followed by Thursday’s lashings of wind and rain.
The Met Office yellow warning for rain covers much of southern and eastern England for an unrelenting 21 hours, and will take effect from midnight on Wednesday night until 9pm on Thursday. Meanwhile, a separate yellow warning for wind will come into place from 9am on Thursday and last right up to 11.59pm.
It is thought many places in southern England could see rainfall of 20-30mm (1 inch) by Thursday morning, and up to 30-50mm (up to 2 inches) in some areas. So far, the Met Office has opted not to name this weather system, however it has been codenamed ‘Melissa’ by US weather services.
After a deluge on Thursday, it is expected Friday will see a dry and cooler day with temperatures climbing no higher than 11C, while peaks will remain modest at 10 or 11C on Saturday and Sunday.
A Met Office spokesman said: “There is at least a medium likelihood that an extensive, and in places heavy swathe of rain will move into southwestern Britain during Wednesday evening and spread quickly… with totals by early Thursday morning of widely 20-30mm, and for some places 30-50mm.
“Winds will pick up in association with the low pressure, and as it clears from the east coast, very strong northwesterly winds are likely to develop. Gusts of wind of 45-55 mph can be expected widely, with 65 mph possible near coasts.”
Temperatures highs in London across next week
- Wednesday, October 22: Light rain showers and winds, with a peak temperature of 14C.
- Thursday, October 23: Yellow warnings for wind and rain, with a top temperature of 12C.
- Friday, October 24: Clear changing to partly cloudy by early evening, with mercury rising to 11C.
- Saturday, October 25: Sunny intervals and a gentle breeze with a peak of 11C.
- Sunday, October 26: Spells of gentle sunshine and chance of showers, with a peak of 10C.
- Monday, October 20: Cloudy changing to sunny intervals by late morning, with a peak of 13C.
- Tuesday, October 21: Sunny intervals and cloudy weather, with a peak of 12C.
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