Maria to threaten the UK with rain and wind this weekend

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Maria brought devastation to parts of the Caribbean and may now set its sights on the United Kingdom as early as Sunday.

While Maria will no longer be classified as a tropical system when it approaches the U.K. this weekend, it could still pose a serious threat.

The exact track and intensity of Maria will be the key to determining how significant the impacts will be across the U.K.

Two scenarios are most likely to unfold at this point, one bringing significant impacts to parts of the U.K. while the other would create fewer problems.

The most likely scenario would involve a powerful post-tropical cyclone Maria tracking over or just north of the U.K. bringing locally damaging winds and downpours to much of the country.

While the most widespread damaging winds and heaviest rain would likely be confined to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Northern England in this scenario, the rest of the country could still get locally strong winds and some rainfall.

The hardest-hit areas could endure widespread power outages and travel disruptions. "Wind gusts over 80 km/h (50 mph) will be possible in these areas," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys.

Rainfall will also cause problems across the U.K. ranging from flooding to travel delays.

"Western parts of the United Kingdom will be at highest risk for flooding, especially in low-lying and poor drainage areas," said Roys.

"Some locations could get more than 75 mm (3 inches) of rainfall through Monday," added Roys.

London is not expected to deal with flooding from Maria; however, rain and some gusty winds could impact outdoor plans and sporting events such as the NFL game between Miami and New Orleans on Sunday.

<b>RELATED:</b><br><em><a href="http://www.accuweather.com/en/gb/united-kingdom-weather">United Kingdom Weather Center</a><br><a href="http://www.accuweather.com/get/weather?page=minutecast">MinuteCast® for your location</a><br><a href="http://www.accuweather.com/en/gb/london/ec4a-2/weather-radar/328328">Interactive United Kingdom weather radar</a></em>

A second scenario would bring Maria across the southern United Kingdom or into France on Monday.

In this setup, Maria would be a weakening storm with some rain and locally gusty winds but no widespread flooding or disruption to travel.

The exact track of Maria will depend greatly on how the storm interacts with a separate storm system that will be west of the U.K. on Thursday and Friday.

If Maria tracks quickly enough, it will be pulled into this storm then the combination of the two will bring widespread and significant impacts to the country as described above.

If Maria is slower to approach, it will not be absorbed into the other storm system and pass near or just south of the country early next week but with less impact.