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South East to be battered by 80mph winds
Last updated at 17:37pm on 16.01.07
Violent storms with winds of up to 80mph are set to hit London tomorrow.
The Met Office today issued a severe weather warning for the entire South-East, predicting that the gales would also signal the beginning of a plunge in temperatures.
The heavy winds are set to hit tomorrow evening, continuing into Friday, Met Office forecasters say.
"This is the start of a big change in the weather, and we are concerned about the storms," said one.
"It could get very nasty."
The Met Office warned Londoners to monitor forecasts and to prepare for more storm damage in the wake of the recent 70mph winds that have battered the capital.
After the gales, much lower temperatures are predicted, with the threat of snow for northern and eastern areas of Britain before drier, brighter and frosty weather sets in next week.
The long-term forecast points to an increase in the frequency of cold snaps through the second half of the winter.
Temperatures between 2C and 3C will come as a shock to most of Britain, which has been enjoying an unusually mild New Year.
Today forecasters revealed January is so far the hottest on record, despite storms in recent weeks and a series of freak weather events including a tornado in north London.
"We've had an average temperature of 8.5C which is 4.2C above what would be expected for the time of year. It's the warmest we've ever seen using the current system, although we believe 1873 may have seen a warmer spell."
The higher temperatures have brought an early dose of pollen to the air, with experts warning that hayfever sufferers could begin feeling symptoms within weeks.
They also predicted that climate change could soon mean year-round misery for people who are allergic to pollen.
"There are low amounts of hazel, alder and yew tree pollen in the air, which are mildly allergenic," said Dr Matthew Smith, a researcher at the University of Worcester's National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit.
"There is definitely the possibility that the pollen season could start early this year."
A spokeswoman for charity Allergy UK said: "We would expect the end of February to be when trees start flowering but they are already, so it's entirely possible we could start getting calls from people suffering at any time."
Hayfever, which affects up to three million Britons, is caused by an allergy to pollen ormould spores.
Sufferers' immune systems overreact to these as if they were toxins, causing irritation and inflammation around the eyes and nose. In severe cases breathing problems may arise.
Mrs McManus warned that Britain's changing climate could mean an increase in year-round problems for sufferers.
She said: "There is a condition called perennial rhinitis, which causes people to suffer from mould problems in the winter and from pollen in the summer.
"Because winters are milder, and spring earlier, we are seeing an increase in people suffering from this all year round.”
On the Continent, countries report similar problems. Austria's national weather service said it would start issuing daily pollen warnings after hazel and alder trees blossomed.
Last year was the world's sixth warmest since records began and the Met Office has predicted this year could be the hottest ever, with a global average surface temperature of 14.5C.
