UK set for midweek storm lashing

The middle of the week will be "very stormy", forecasters warn

Much of the UK can expect a miserable midweek of wind and rain as the country is lashed by the remnants of a tropical storm, forecasters warn.

Tropical storm Bonnie has made its way from the United States, where it caused the deaths of three people.

Although Bonnie will not directly hit the UK, it will bring high winds and rain to already unsettled weather.

Met Office forecaster Wayne Elliot said the storm "adds more impetus, more oomph" to the weather system.

He said: "It is going to be quite an active weather system coming up through the next few days because we have this temperature contrast across the weather system from north to south.

Wednesday and Thursday will not be very nice at all Jo Farrow BBC weather centre

"In this case there will be quite strong winds and heavy rain."

But he stressed that Britain is frequently hit by the remnants of tropical storms.

"It isn't uncommon at all for the remnants of these storms and hurricanes as they once were to get involved with the weather systems over the UK," he added.

Evacuation

And Jo Farrow, from the BBC weather centre, said to expect a very stormy mid-week.

She said: "We have had an unsettled start to the week but Wednesday will see the arrival of a deep area of low pressure.

"This low pressure was once tropical storm Bonnie, it will bring very wet and windy weather combined with very warm air.

"Wednesday and Thursday will not be very nice at all, but it will be calmer by the weekend."

She added: "We had heavy rain last week - more rain will not be good news for some of the rivers."

Bonnie forced some companies to evacuate workers from offshore oil rigs as it passed through the Gulf of Mexico.

And tornadoes generated by the storm battered North Carolina, leaving three people dead more than 20 people injured.