UK weather: Cyclone could hit the UK this week bringing heavy rain, hail and thunderstorms

The Met Office said it expects two low-pressure centres to move towards the UK

A cyclone could hit the UK this week bringing heavy rain, hail and thunderstorms, forecasters have warned.

With the jet stream positioned to the north, the first half of this week will be fairly fine and settled for most as high pressure dominates our weather.

But looking forward to Friday and into the weekend, that jet stream is expected to dive south, driving low pressure to our shores, making the weather more unsettled.

The Met Office has said it expects two low-pressure centres – which it described as being synonymous with cyclones – to move towards the UK, bringing with it heavy rain.

“We have got one that’s going to try to push in from the northwest, and there’s also one from around the Bay of Biscay that’s going to try and push in from the south,” Jonathan Vautrey, a meteorologist for the Met Office, told The Independent.

Whether one or both of those low-pressure centres moves across the UK remains uncertain, he added.

Though the western half of the country is likely to see the worst of the rainfall, Mr Vautrey warned that some eastern areas could also be hit by wet weather.

He continued: “Friday is when we might see the first signs of the low-pressure centres, particularly the northwestern one spreading across western Scotland and into Northern Ireland.”

By Saturday, showers are likely to spread to other areas and could bring thunderstorms and hail with them, the Met official cautioned.

Winds will also pick up, particularly in coastal areas, while temperatures are expected to be on the warmer side.

“Even where there is rain coming through, it could feel warm,” Mr Vautrey added.

Thanks to the high pressure commanding the weather at the start of this week, Britons can broadly expect fine, warm weather, before things take a turn from Friday onwards.

Met Office outlook for this week:

Tonight:

Patchy drizzle in exposed northeastern parts of the UK but most areas dry. Clear spells leading to a cooler night, breezy in the far south and southwest.

Tuesday:

Early drizzle and low cloud in the northeast, with possible afternoon showers in the north. However, nearly everywhere will be dry with sunshine at times. Warm in southwest, cooler in northeast.

Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:

Some scattered showers with cold nights in the north, otherwise warm away from the south and east coasts. Some heavy showers possible by Friday.