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Gales and torrential downpours threaten to hammer swathes of the country early next week if Helene makes a direct hit on the UK. However the tropical storm could narrowly swerve the country and instead supercharge a sweltering blast of heat already poised to send thermometers rocketing towards 30C (86F). Helene’s path and impact will depend on whether she collides with the jet stream over the coming days and the atmospheric conditions over Britain after the weekend, experts say. Some early weather models predict furious winds whipped up by a deep low-pressure system associated with the hurricane will pummel the nation. Helene is one of three ‘life-threatening’ storms churning the Atlantic with Isaac and Florence about to unleash a deadly assault on the American continent. Hurricane Florence is on course to smash the eastern United States on Sunday with Tropical Storm Isaac expected to make landfall on the Dominican Republic around the same time. Helene is forecast to make a u-turn away from America at the end of this week before hurtling towards the UK.

Met Office meteorologist Emma Smith said: “There is a chance Helene will be caught up in the jet stream and that would bring some wet and windy weather to the UK after the weekend. “However this will depend on the conditions around the UK at the time of arrival, it could end up strengthening high pressure emphasising drier conditions.” The remnants of the storm could supercharge a burst of warm air already set to sweep into southeastern Britain this weekend. Temperatures are tipped to reach 25C (77F) across East Anglia, Kent, Essex and and London on Sunday with highs in the mid-20Cs forecast into next week. The remains of Helene are expected to nudge thermometers even higher brining a freakishly warm spell of weather to southern Britain. Miss Smith added: “There is a chance the southeast could turn very warm next week and this could be another effect of the remnants of Helene. “Already we expect temperatures in the region to be higher than average for the time of year due to the direction of airflow bringing warmer air in from the Atlantic. “Air associated with Helene could end up being caught up with this bringing even warmer conditions.” Helene, a category-2 hurricane with wind speeds topping 110mph, is currently hurtling north-westwards across the Atlantic.

UK weather forecast: Hurricane Helene could strike Britain

It is forecast to switch direction and take a north-eastward path towards the UK on Friday before reaching British shores early next week. Wind speeds should drop to around 70mph as Helene is downgraded to a tropical storm on its track towards western Europe. However she is expected to strengthen over the next few days as she feeds on warm, moist air over the Atlantic. A spokesman for the US National Hurricane Centre said: “There still appears to be a small window of opportunity for Helene to strengthen, during the next 12 hours or so. “Global models show Helene either maintaining tropical storm strength or even intensifying by the end of the period, possibly due to some mid-latitude dynamic forcing influences. “A turn more toward the northwest is forecast early on Wednesday; Helene should slowly turn northward and then north-northeastward during the next 72 to 96 hours, followed by a turn toward the northeast. “It’s also worth noting that the Florida State Cyclone Phase Evolution analysis and forecast product shows the system retaining a relatively symmetric warm core through the entire forecast.”

UK weather forecast: Hurricane Helene could 'hitch a ride' on the jet stream to Britain

More than a million people have evacuated their North and South Carolina homes as monster storm Florence rampages towards the United States. The category-4 hurricane is due to smash into North America on Thursday and could be the most powerful to hit the region in 30 years. Florence threatens to unleash devastating near-150mph winds with torrential rainfall raising fears floods could leave thousands homeless. Tropical Storm Isaac poses less of a threat although its increasing wind speeds have put parts of the Caribbean on alert for impact later this week. The three-storm attack follows warnings this autumn could bring increased tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic although this number forming at the same time is unusual. Some spaghetti models show the trio converging in the middle of the ocean over the next few days spawning a giant mega-hurricane. However the most likely outcome is that Florence hits the eastern United States as Issac smashes Central America while Helene veers towards Europe and the UK.

UK weather forecast: A spaghetti model showing Hurricane Helene reaching Britain

The journey of the storm will be guided by a powerful jet stream acting like a conveyor belt between the Atlantic and the United Kingdom. Unusually high wind speeds and the meandering nature of the rapidly-flowing ribbon of air high in the atmosphere are to blame, experts say. Piers Corbyn, forecaster for WeatherAction, said a blast of tropical air could push temperatures to 28C (82.4F) in the south next week. He said: “There is going to be a general increase in temperatures across parts of the country next week and this is due to the jet stream going through a phase of wild deviations due to lower solar activity. “The jet stream is currently stronger and faster than usual and is much wavier meaning it dips and sweeps across its path. “We expect it to bring a plume of air in from the south, this will have originated from Africa and the Continent, but with the addition of warm air brought in by Helene temperatures could rise very high in parts. “We would not be surprised to see 27C (80.6F) or 28C (82.4F) next week.”

Extreme weather: Most dramatic photos ever Wed, August 2, 2017 The weather across the world is getting wilder and weirder, causing chaos, death and destruction around the globe. Play slideshow Caters News Agency 1 of 96 These frightening photos of lightning from a hurricane above Miami, Florida in the USA were taken after the storm left a trail of destruction in the Caribbean.