Gale force winds and heavy showers set to pummel UK as tropical Storm Alex remnants arrive
10 June 2022, 23:39 | Updated: 10 June 2022, 23:42
Gale force winds of up to 55mph and heavy showers are set to pummel the UK as the remnants of tropical Storm Alex sweep the country.
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The winds, which are expected to peak on Saturday, will stretch from western Scotland down to south-east England.
The unsettled weather comes as a result of former tropical storm Alex, the Atlantic's first named storm this year, which killed three people in Cuba at its peak.
Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said: "This weekend's quite windy - unseasonably windy actually.
"So that is a little bit odd... This time of year you don't really get quite such vigorous low pressure systems affecting the UK."
Read more: 'Thunder fever' warning as Storm Alex arrives ahead of summer heatwave
Saturday morning:
— Met Office (@metoffice) June 10, 2022
🌦️ Very windy with heavy showers across Northern Ireland and western Scotland
🌬️ Also windy with showers in eastern Scotland, northern England, the Midlands and Wales
☀️ Plenty of warm sunshine across the south and east of England pic.twitter.com/UQoGgqWYMY
Scotland will bear the brunt of Alex, with gale force eight winds predicted to cause disruption to ferries.
"Today (Friday) we could see 50mph round the west coast of Scotland, and tomorrow we could see 50 to 55mph again," Mr Partridge said.
"It's bringing in some quite large seas as well - I wouldn't be surprised if there's some sort of knock-on effect on ferry services."
Here's tomorrow's weather broken down into elements. If you're in the northwest, look at the left hand graphics showing the heavy showers and strong winds. If you're in the southeast, ignore them, and look at the right hand side showing the sunshine and warm temperatures pic.twitter.com/p0kmsmLbLR
— Met Office (@metoffice) June 10, 2022
Gusts in the South East could reach 35mph, which Mr Partridge said was "typical" because "there's actually going to be lots of sunshine around over the next few days".
He continued: "Without the wind it would be really nice, but the wind will take the edge off a little bit. "So that's a bit unfortunate, but you can't win them all, I guess."
Nevertheless, the South East could see temperatures of up to 24C, while central and southern England will be around 22C or 23C.
Winds are expected to die down from Sunday, as the remnants of Storm Alex continue moving north.
🤧 🤧 🤧
— Met Office (@metoffice) June 10, 2022
Here's the latest weekend pollen forecast, slightly updated since yesterday. Peak grass pollen season across England and Wales combined with warm and dry weather means hay fever sufferers may need to take precautions
🤧 🤧 🤧 pic.twitter.com/gC0cpKppG6
It comes as there have also been warnings of 'thunder fever' - an extreme version of hay fever - due to Storm Alex.
Airborne allergens expert Max Wiseberg previously told the Daily Star: "With this fine weather thunderstorms are also predicted, and they can bring problems for hay fever sufferers.
"Very high pollen counts are predicted across many parts of England from Thursday onwards causing havoc for the millions of hay fever sufferers in the UK.
"Predicted thunderstorms won't give respite, as instead they can cause a phenomenon known as 'thunder fever'."
