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Forecasters predict major London weather change next week: 'First storm is coming'

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Cite

Howie, M. (2026, October 18). Forecasters predict major London weather change next week: 'First storm is coming'. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/storm-weather-forecast-met-office-latest-b1301235.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Evening Standard · collected 2026-10-18 · by Michael Howie

Quick Summary

Forecasters predict severe weather will hit London by late October, with gale-force winds up to 37mph expected on Friday, October 23 and potentially stronger gusts of 43mph on Sunday, October 25. The Met Office warns that more storms may follow as the unsettled weather pattern continues due to a likely El Niño influence, making winter milder but wetter and windier than usual. Recent temperatures in London have already dropped, with highs expected around 14°C this weekend.
Written by AI on 2026-10-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Forecasters predict that London will experience significant weather changes next week, with gale-force winds up to 37mph expected on Friday, October 23. The Met Office suggests even stronger gusts of up to 43mph by Sunday, October 25, signaling the arrival of stormy conditions consistent with historical patterns influenced by El Niño events. According to Ian Lisk, Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, recent seasonal forecasts indicate a higher likelihood of wetter-than-average weather for autumn. This shift could bring colder nights and frost between frontal systems, while temperatures remain near or slightly above normal overall.

Written for “Major Weather Change Predicted For London” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Major Weather Change Predicted For London
Environment · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 31% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
BBC News
Hedges 9 of 31 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A predicts an upcoming storm for later in the week, while Article B reports on a current amber weather warning and Storm Austen hitting parts of the UK.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 2 of 23 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different time periods and locations with varying levels of storm intensity.”
BBC News
Hedges 3 of 28 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different timeframes for storm predictions, with Article A covering a general trend of expected future weather and Article B providing specific forecast details for upcoming dates.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 64/100
“While both articles discuss severe weather expected in the UK, they refer to different times and details: Article A predicts a storm for October 23-25, while Article B names Storm Austen with higher wind speeds and impacts from later in the week.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 4 of 9 claims Outlet record 64/100
“While both articles mention upcoming storms in the UK, they refer to different times and storm names: Article A forecasts a storm on October 23-25 with unnamed storms, while Article B specifically mentions Storm Austen from late Thursday (presumably October 21) through Friday.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 5 of 24 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A predicts an upcoming storm in London for next week while Article B reports on named storms Austen and Boelo that are currently expected to affect the UK, indicating different time periods.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 8 of 45 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A predicts storms for October 23 and 25, while Article B reports on Storm Austen hitting Britain on October 23, a different but related weather event.”
BBC News
Hedges 5 of 29 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss similar weather forecasts but cover different timeframes with varying details, indicating they are not reporting on the exact same specific incident.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 3 of 11 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles discuss different time periods for stormy weather in London, with Article A predicting storms starting October 23-25 and Article B detailing Storm Austen hitting from Thursday night onwards.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 3 of 17 claims Outlet record 69/100
“While both articles discuss severe weather expected in London around late October, they refer to different time frames and specific storm events.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
13
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
31%
4 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Environment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Evening Standard · 8587 article(s) · 73 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 73 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Michael Howie
92 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Michael Howie
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 92 articles by Michael Howie →

Topics

El Niño London Met Office The Met Office World Meteorological Organization

Subjects

London GPE · 2× Celeste Saulo PERSON · 1× Ian Lisk PERSON · 1× Met Office ORG · 1× The Met Office ORG · 1× Tim Stockdale PERSON · 1× WMO ORG · 1× World Meteorological Organization ORG · 1×

Narrative

Last month Met Office Chief Meteorologist Ian Lisk said: “The latest seasonal forecasts suggest an increased likelihood of wetter than average conditions as we move through autumn, which would be consistent with the historical influence of El Niño events.”
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-18
🔮 Stormy weather appears increasingly likely to sweep London towards the end of October, according to the latest forecasts.

Claims (13 extracted, 4 hedged)

Stormy weather appears increasingly likely to sweep London towards the end of October, according to the latest forecasts. uncertain
weather → appear → forecasts
The Met Office is predicting gale force winds up to 37mph over the capital on Friday, October 23. asserted
Office → predict → Friday
And wilder weather could be on its way the following week with the national meteorological agency tipping gusts as strong as 43mph on Sunday, October 25. uncertain
agency → follow → Sunday
In a social media post, the amateur UK forecaster added: “And more storm(s) may quickly follow. uncertain
storm(s → add → post
“I believe our first storm is coming. asserted
storm → believe → ?
Our weather will turn more disturbed and unsettled later next week.” asserted
weather → turn → ?
It adds: “While there is still a chance that high pressure will build near the UK again during late October, it is more likely that the changeable or unsettled regime will continue once established. asserted
regime → add → October
“It is possible that stormy weather may also develop at times. uncertain
weather → develop → times
Last month Met Office Chief Meteorologist Ian Lisk said: “The latest seasonal forecasts suggest an increased likelihood of wetter than average conditions as we move through autumn, which would be consistent with the historical influence of El Niño events.” asserted
which → say → events
“There’s an expectation of the first part of the winter being milder, wetter and windier,” said Tim Stockdale. asserted
Stockdale → ’ → winter
Last week, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said El Niño is “strengthening rapidly” and looked set to be one of the strongest in the last 70 years. asserted
Niño → say → years
Temperatures in London plunged over the weekend with a high of 14C expected on Sunday, after a peak of 13C on Saturday. asserted
Temperatures → plunge → Saturday
Read More However it was expected to feel no warmer than 12C as a gentle breeze blows in from the north. asserted
breeze → read → north
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