Tropical Storm Debby 2024: Florida storm could bring temperatures over 30C to UK next week

Storm Debby hit Florida with heavy rain and high winds before moving into the US southeast. By Tuesday (6 August) the storm had killed six people and caused serious flooding in the US.

It made landfall on Monday (5 August) as a Category 1 hurricane, before weakening to a tropical storm in the afternoon. Over the coming days, the storm will continue to hit parts of the east and south-eastern US. It could bring as much as 600mm (23in) of rain - around half the yearly average - to the Carolinas. The storm is set to weaken later in the week.

According to the Met Office it will play a role in influencing UK weather. The storm itself will not impact the UK, but the influence of Debby will play a role in the medium range forecast, the Met Office has said.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Nick Silkstone said: "Debby in North America will help to strengthen and veer the direction of the jet stream and this means this ribbon of air is likely to shift further to the south. This southwards dip in the jet stream will likely be located across the mid-Atlantic this weekend and early next week, allowing south-westerly flow across the UK.

"During this time a hot and perhaps very hot airmass could develop and be adverted into the southeast of the UK. On balance it now looks likely that temperatures will reach 30C, with around a 30 per cent chance that temperatures could reach the mid-30s Celsius early next week. Debby plays a role in developing this forecast hot spell."

However, the warm weather will not be enjoyed by all of the UK. The Met Office has said that the northern extent of the hot airmass will most likely be across central and northern parts of the UK and "will likely see periods of heavy rainfall moving north east, and within the hot airmass there is a chance of some severe thunderstorms breaking out". It could also be "unseasonably windy" in some west and north-western areas.