Hurricane Lee remnants to usher in heavy rain and gales

Britain is on course for heavy rain and gales as remnants of Hurricane Lee add "extra oomph" to a low pressure system moving across the Atlantic, forecasters said.

After a week of typically autumnal weather - with foggy nights, pleasant sunshine and periods of wind and rain - more unsettled conditions look likely for this weekend and the start of next week.

The stormy spell is expected to hit as Saturday fades into Sunday - with extra moisture and heat from Lee adding strength to showers and winds, particularly in northern and western parts.

And, following behind, a "rapidly fading Hurricane Maria will run across the bottom of the country, bringing some rain on Monday", Met Office forecaster Emma Sharples said.

She added: "But after that, it looks a bit more settled, we will see some strong winds on Monday but then generally some calmer weather.

"Then, we may have a potential north-south split by the middle of the week with rain in the north and more bright and sunny spells in the south."

The Met Office added the potential effects of Maria on the UK will be very different from those experienced in the Caribbean.

Forecasters said that by the weekend these systems will have drifted away from the tropics, and as they lose connection with warmer waters they will lose this source of energy and decline.

They added that the waters in our latitudes of the North Atlantic are far too cool to sustain an actual hurricane.

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