Tropical storm in the Atlantic – is it heading for the UK and Ireland?

Tropical storm Dexter has developed over the Atlantic. It is located around 1,000 km off the east coast of the United States and is set to head across the ocean towards Europe.

Dexter's peak gusts are currently reaching around 60 mph. It will strengthen slightly during the day and continue to move northeast towards the open ocean.

On its way across the Atlantic, Dexter will lose strength and becomes an extratropical low. It could reach Europe next weekend. The impact is still unclear at this stage. Current forecasts indicate stormy weather, especially in Scotland.

In very rare cases, a tropical storm can also reach mainland Europe. In October 2005, for example, Hurricane Vince formed near the Azores and made landfall in Spain a little later, having weakened considerably.