Will the ex-hurricane miss the UK/IE?

Ex-Hurricane Kirk was originally forecast to track close to the UK and Ireland, but is it still looking that way?

While the ex-hurricane originally was looking set to bring impactful weather to the UK and Ireland, it's track has shifted further south into western and central parts of Europe.

Kirk, now just a low pressure system, will be impacting northern Portugal and north-west Spain initially on Tuesday night 8th October, into Wednesday 9th.

Wind gusts here are expected to reach up to 80 mph, perhaps even locally higher and nearer to 90 mph on high ground.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms will also be prevalent, with rainfall totals expected to be between 100 and 150 mm across some parts of northwestern Spain.

The system will then continue east-north-east and move into France from around Wednesday night into early Thursday.

Strong winds are possible across south-west France, north-west Switzerland and south-west Germany through Thursday, with peak gusts of mid-90s mph possible along the coast of south-west France.

There is an additional risk of storm surge along the central Biscay coasts, though it should also coincide with low tide times. Similar rainfall totals around 100 mm are possible too.

With many trees still in full leaf during this time of year, impacts from this storm are likely to be higher than similar strength storms later in the year.