Will Hurricane Kirk bring strong winds and rain to the UK this week?

The Met Office has been tracking Hurricane Kirk to see if it will bring more heavy rain and high winds to the UK.

This Satellite image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Kirk, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 in the Atlantic Ocean. (NOAA via AP)
A satellite image shows Hurricane Kirk over the Atlantic Ocean. (NOAA/AP)

The tail end of Hurricane Kirk is expected to pass by the UK later this week, forecasters have said.

Hurricane Kirk has been in the Atlantic and while it will have lost its status as a hurricane by the time it reaches north west Europe, there had been fears it could still affect UK weather by brining heavy rain and high winds.

However, on Monday, the Met Office indicated that ex-Hurricane Kirk will not sweep through the south of England and Wales as previously predicted.

At the end of last week, it had warned that the hurricane could bring "disruptive" conditions after the middle of this week.

Floodwater submerges large parts of Brampton Park Golf Club in Brampton, Cambridgeshire. Further showery spells are expected across England, but drier, more settled weather conditions are set to arrive in the coming days. Picture date: Wednesday October 2, 2024. (Photo by Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)
Many parts of the UK have suffered flooding this month, including Brampton Park Golf Club in Brampton, Cambridgeshire. (PA)

But in an update, the Met Office said: "We have been keeping a close eye on the track of ex-Hurricane Kirk as it travels across the Atlantic.

"There is increasing confidence now that it will track to the south of the UK, bringing heavy rains and strong winds to northern France."

Hurricane Kirk was initially named a category three storm by the US National Hurricane Center – meaning it has winds of 111 to 130mph - but was upgraded to a category four storm, with warnings it could strengthen further.

Last week the National Hurricane Center said it was expected to stay away from land, but forecasters warned it could still cause "large swells" on the East Coast over the weekend, creating dangerous surf and rip current conditions.

The Met Office said on Monday it is unlikely that ex-Hurricane Kirk will hit the UK, instead passing by to the south and having an impact on northern France.

It said: "Although north and south shifts of the systems track remain possible, the threat of significant impacts to the UK from this system are now much reduced."

Windsor, Berkshire, UK. 30th September, 2024. It was another wet and miserable start to the morning in Windsor, Berkshire as people were out and about first thing this morning. Credit: Maureen McLean/Alamy Live News
The UK has seen long periods of heavy rainfall in recent weeks. (PA)

The Met Office has a yellow warning for thunderstorms in place in the south and south west of England and south Wales between 4pm and midnight on Monday.

It said the rest of the week will also be "unsettled", with most areas experiencing rain and showers.

Forecasters said things will "turn colder" from Wednesday, with temperatures dropping in the north and all areas experiencing below average temperatures from Thursday.

Night frosts are predicted for some regions and snow is a possibility in the higher mountains of Scotland, the Met Office said.