Gale-force winds and thunderstorms sweep in across UK after rare September 'tropical night'

From the Newshound archive · first published 30 September 2026.

Wet and blustery conditions are now hitting the UK as an Atlantic storm brings gale-force winds over the next 24 hours, with a thunderstorm alert issued for a muggy London following a rare September 'tropical night'. Two Atlantic low-pressure systems are merging west of Ireland in a process known as explosive cyclogenesis, threatening winds of up to 80mph offshore and 54mph gusts along western coastal areas. Temperatures could still hit 25C to 26C in southern England before heavy rain and thunderstorms sweep in from the north-west.

BBC Weather's Chris Fawkes warned of 'heavy bursts' of rain hitting much of the UK from this morning.

Spring tides are coinciding with the storm, raising the risk of large waves breaching coastal defences and inundating low-lying areas.

Overnight temperatures could stay as high as 19C across southern and eastern England even as the storm moves through.