Hot spells could hit UK with above-average temperatures after Storm Floris

Yahoo

a day ago

The UK could see hot spells and increasing temperatures just days after the country was battered by Storm Floris, the Met Office said.
The forecaster said the mercury would likely be above average from 19 August towards the start of September, as the weather becomes drier and settled from the middle of the month.
It comes after Storm Floris, the sixth named storm of the season, brought chaos for tens of thousands of people on Monday as trains, flights and ferries were disrupted.
'Above-average temperatures overall seem most likely, with the potential for hot spells to develop, especially in the East and South,' a Met Office spokesperson said.
'Although dry weather is likely to dominate, periods of rain or showers and thunderstorms may develop at times, these perhaps more likely later in the period.'
On Monday, tens of thousands of households were left without electricity after Storm Floris wreaked havoc on power lines.
Engineers worked to restore power to around 22,000 properties in the north and north-east of Scotland on Tuesday morning after Storm Floris hit the country with high winds.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said it had restored power to 50,000 properties since the onset of the storm, which is called "the most damaging summer storm in recent memory".
The company, which is the network operator for northern Scotland, said it had organised meal provision in some of the affected communities.
Winds of more than 100mph were recorded on Monday as the storm swept across the country. Gusts of 134mph were recorded on the summit of Cairngorm in the Scottish Highlands.
On lower ground, gusts of 82mph at Wick airport in Scotland were recorded, with speeds in excess of 70mph in other parts of the country, the Met Office said.
Work is also underway to clear trees from several railway lines, with the government adding there were 119 incidents on the rail network caused by Storm Floris, including 75 tree-related ones.
On Tuesday morning, Network Rail said it had reopened 30 out of 34 routes in Scotland, but ScotRail is urging customers to check their journey via the app, website or JourneyCheck before they travel.
Half the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry routes in western Scotland are still affected by Storm Floris. Sailings between Oban, Colonsay and Islay are cancelled for the day.