UK weather forecast: London battered by showers and gale force winds as temperatures plummet across Britain

Alexandra Richards15 January 2018

Heavy rain and gale force winds are set to batter the capital as temperatures plummet across the UK amid fears of a flu epidemic in Britain.

Winds as high as 40 mph, coming in from Greenland, will cause blustery conditions this week and the possibility of cold showers, the Met Office said.

Doctors fear that the harsh conditions could cause the current flu crisis sweeping the nation to worsen.

The UK is in the midst of the worst flu crisis in 20 years with 85 people killed by the deadly Aussie strain of the illness so far, the Telegraph reported.

Public Health England told the newspaper: "We know that cold weather often causes an increase in deaths for a number of reasons. This includes factors to do with the bugs themselves, and the fact that they may spread more easily when we spend more time together indoors."

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Londoners woke up to a wet and windy start on Monday as rain battered the capital.

A cloudy sky with some heavy bouts of rain sparked a dreary journey to work for commuters.

The drizzly weather looks set to clear by midday, however the sky will remain grey and cloudy until the evening.

Once the rain clears, temperatures will drop to 1C overnight and hit no higher than 6C on Tuesday. It will be a little bit brighter as the day progresses with the sun breaking through in the afternoon, forecasters added.

The cold weather will bring with it the potential of sleet and snow over the hills and forecasters have warned commuters to be weary of ice patches in the north of England.

The outlook remains bleak for the rest of the week with cold, windy showers moving in on Wednesday posing the risk of severe gale force winds and heavy rain overnight.

Forecaster Marco Petagna warned that gale force winds could reach as high as 35 to 40 miles per hour in the capital.

By Thursday the wind looks set to clear, it will be a bit brighter with some isolated showers.

Elsewhere in the country temperatures are set to plummet with the Met Office issuing a yellow warning for many parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland from Monday evening.

Forecasters predict heavy hail and snow showers which could cause travel disruptions and lead to a risk of powercuts.

Severe weather will create icy conditions and commuters are being advised to take care on the roads.

The Met Office has extended the warning until Wednesday.

Mr Petagna warned that across the country “wind will be the thing to keep an eye on” as harsh gales come from Greenland to create lower temperatures throughout the week.

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