UK weekend rain not directly linked to ex hurricane Gabrielle

The United Kingdom is set to see a band of rain and blustery conditions across much of the country this weekend, but forecasters say the change in weather is not a direct result of Hurricane Gabrielle. The Met Office expects rain to move in from the west on Friday night and persist into Saturday and Sunday, with the strongest winds likely in northern Scotland and temperatures holding around seasonal averages of 17C to 18C.

Gabrielle, which strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane earlier this week in the central Atlantic and later passed near Bermuda, is now tracking toward the Azores and is expected to weaken as it moves over cooler waters. Forecasters say it will become an ex-tropical system as it heads east toward the Bay of Biscay off the coasts of France and northern Spain. A Met Office spokesperson said, "There is a small chance, less than five per cent, that Gabrielle could impact the UK directly with stormy conditions, but it is much more likely to affect southern Europe and the Azores."

Meteorologists emphasize that while Gabrielle will remain well to the south of the UK, its evolution may have a secondary effect on British weather by altering the timing and persistence...