Britain is facing an early ‘autumnal storm’ with the ‘ingredients’ aligning to whip up a powerful named cyclone.
A low-pressure system off the United States coast spinning near colliding tropical and cold air masses astride the jet stream could birth Storm Floris.
Although the risk is currently low, meteorologists are keeping a close eye on the start of next week for a bout of autumnal wind and rain.
Named storms at this time of year are uncommon, with the previous being Storm Lilian last summer.
Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick said: “There is a signal that potentially as we head into next week, there is a 10 per cent chance that we could see a named storm.
“We had Storm Lilian around this time last year, so we can get storms at this point in summer, and while it is not totally common, it can happen.
“If all the ingredients come together at the right time, there is the potential for perhaps a storm.
“But it could just be strong winds or a frontal system moving through as there may not be enough power there to generate a full low-pressure system and thus turn it into a storm.”
MET OFFICE
|Met Office’s Honor Criswick warns of a potential storm
Some weather models show the storm hitting the north of the UK during early next week.
It would follow Ashley, Bert, Connal, Darragh and Eowyn, which battered the UK between October and January.
Low pressure close to the US is heading towards Britain with cold and warm air straddling the jet stream, creating a powerful energy charge.
WX CHARTS | Risk of wind and rain at the start of next week
Criswick said: “We have areas of low pressure off the US coast, and the jet stream is the boundary between cooler air and warm tropical air.
“The model shows this area of low pressure is just being picked up by the jet stream and moving forwards towards the UK.
“We need that warm tropical air to the south, we need that area of low pressure to be picked up on the left jet exit where we would undergo some cyclogenesis, but we also need a trough feature to the north, these are the three ingredients we need.”
The potential storm will give meteorologists a ‘watch point’ through the coming days, she said.
She added: “We need some agreement between model runs and through different models to predict what is happening.”
Meanwhile, Britons hoping for a return to summer may have to wait another fortnight for the sun.
Amid the turbulent outlooks, signs have emerged of the Azores High, the driver of hot weather, nudging back from the south.
Some experts are predicting highs of 30C in parts of the country in the run-up to mid-August.
Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services and social commentator, said: “There is every possibility that we could see another heatwave after this week and through the start of August.
“While it is early days, some models show the Azores high regaining an influence over the weather.
“Even further along into September, with the ground and sea temperatures still high, we could see summer extending beyond August.”