Forecasters predict major London weather change next week: 'First storm is coming'

Stormy weather appears increasingly likely to sweep London towards the end of October, according to the latest forecasts.

The Met Office is predicting gale force winds up to 37mph over the capital on Friday, October 23.

And wilder weather could be on its way the following week with the national meteorological agency tipping gusts as strong as 43mph on Sunday, October 25.

London-based forecaster @TheSnowDreamer, who has 34,000 followers on X, said he is monitoring the potential for strong winds next Friday hitting swathes of the UK.

In a social media post, the amateur UK forecaster added: “And more storm(s) may quickly follow.

“I believe our first storm is coming. Our weather will turn more disturbed and unsettled later next week.”

It comes as the Met Office said unsettled weather was looking increasingly likely through the rest of the month “with spells of wet and windy weather arriving from the Atlantic”.

It adds: “While there is still a chance that high pressure will build near the UK again during late October, it is more likely that the changeable or unsettled regime will continue once established.

“It is possible that stormy weather may also develop at times.

“Temperatures are likely to be near or a little above normal overall, with mild spells likely at times, especially towards the south.

A van is surrounded by floodwater in Wraysbury, west of London, on January 9, 2024, following Storm Henk

AFP/Getty

“In between frontal systems, colder nights are possible, with a touch of frost.”

Forecasters predict a huge El Niño in the Pacific will cause wetter and warmer weather this autumn.

Last month Met Office Chief Meteorologist Ian Lisk said: “The latest seasonal forecasts suggest an increased likelihood of wetter than average conditions as we move through autumn, which would be consistent with the historical influence of El Niño events.”

“There’s an expectation of the first part of the winter being milder, wetter and windier,” said Tim Stockdale.

Last week, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said El Niño is “strengthening rapidly” and looked set to be one of the strongest in the last 70 years.

Temperatures in London plunged over the weekend with a high of 14C expected on Sunday, after a peak of 13C on Saturday.

However it was expected to feel no warmer than 12C as a gentle breeze blows in from the north.