Ex-Tropical Storm Alex has developed into a more typical low-pressure system and will move near the northwest of the UK on Friday and Saturday, bringing with it some strong winds and showers, especially for western Scotland and Northern Ireland.  

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Chris Almond said: “Although no longer a named storm, the remnants of Ex-Tropical Storm Alex will bring some strong winds across the northern half of the UK – especially to the Scotland and Northern Ireland on Friday and Saturday.  

“The track of the low-pressure system currently looks to be off the northwest coast of the UK on Friday and Saturday and winds are likely to reach around 45mph for some parts of the north of the UK, with a chance of some gusts in excess of 55mph in some exposed northwestern islands and coastal areas.” 

Along with the wind, northwestern areas will see frequent showers on Friday and Saturday, some of which could be thundery in nature. Both wind and showers are expected to ease on Sunday.  

Further south, there will be plenty of dry and fine weather around in the weekend, with temperatures likely to peak at around 24C in the southeast. Some light showers are possible in Wales and central England on Saturday morning, but a dry and bright weekend with plenty of sunshine is the main theme of the forecast in the south through the weekend.

Pollen levels are also expected to be high or very high in the south of the UK through this weekend, according to the Met Office pollen forecast. Find out more about pollen and how to prepare for it.  

Next week

An unsettled start to next week with some cool nights looks most likely, but there are some signals of a warming trend for the UK later in the week, although the extent and likelihood of this is still being determined. 

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