UK weather: Met Office predicts warm and dry autumn months and rejects claims of snow

Forecasters predict above-average temperatures and reject claims of crippling snows for winter

The wet and windy weather brought by Storm Bronagh will finally clear later on Sunday, according to forecasters.

Much of the UK is expected to enjoy dry conditions and sunny spells in the week ahead, and the balmy conditions are set to continue over the next few months.

As the rain finally eases, the Met Office predicts warmer-than-usual temperatures and more settled weather for the autumn season.

“The most likely trend for autumn is that it will be a little warmer and a little drier than average,” Met Office forecaster Helen Roberts told The Independent.

Despite reports El Nino – a disruptive weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean – will bring “crippling” snowfall to the UK this winter, the Met Office has urged caution over predictions of an unusually cold winter season.

“It’s too early to tell what will happen,” said Ms Roberts.

She explained a “weakish” El Nino is forecast for later in the year, one that raised the possibility of icy temperatures in the British Isles.

“It’s something to keep an eye on,” she said. “(El Nino) tends to give us a drier and colder end to the winter, but there are so many other factors involved in determining what will happen during the winter months.”

It follows a prediction made by James Madden of Exacta Weather, a small private company, who told The Daily Express there would be “widespread snowy periods” in early December and “potentially crippling snowfalls and ice storms” between Christmas and New Year.

The Met Office will make its official forecast for the winter season – December, January and February – next month.

The outlook for the week ahead will see a return of sunshine across many parts of the UK, with potential highs of 22C on Thursday in London and the southeast.

“The rain will clear away eastwards this afternoon and we will see drier weather and sunny spells across England and Wales for much of the week ahead,” said Ms Roberts.

“We could still see windy and wet weather in the far northwest, but temperatures will climb across the UK as the week progresses, particularly in the south.”

The heavy rain and strong winds brought by Storm Ali and Storm Bronagh caused widespread disruption as they swept across the British Isles this week.

A woman died after a caravan was blown off a cliff on Ireland's west coast as she slept inside. A workman was also killed by a falling tree in a country park in County Armagh.