UK Prepares for Heatwaves After Storm Floris Disruption

As the UK continues to recover from the aftermath of Storm Floris, the Met Office has predicted that the country will soon experience a period of hot spells and rising temperatures. According to the forecaster, the mercury is likely to be above average from around 19 August through the start of September, as the weather becomes drier and more settled.

This comes just days after Storm Floris, the sixth named storm of the season, caused chaos across the UK on Monday. The storm brought high winds, with gusts of over 100mph recorded, including a peak of 134mph on the summit of Cairngorm in the Scottish Highlands. The strong winds led to power outages for tens of thousands of households, primarily in the north and northeast of Scotland, and disrupted train, flight, and ferry services.

Engineers have been working to restore power to the affected properties, with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) reporting that they have already reconnected around 50,000 homes since the onset of the storm, which they have described as "the most damaging summer storm in recent memory." The company has also organized meal provisions for some of the impacted communities.

As the UK looks to the future, the Met Office has stated that while the dry weather is likely to dominate, there may be periods of rain, showers, and thunderstorms at times, particularly later in the period. However, the overall forecast suggests that the country can expect to see "above-average temperatures overall" in the coming weeks, with the potential for "hot spells to develop, especially in the East and South."