Hurricane Oscar: High winds and heavy rain threaten Halloween and Bonfire Night events across Scotland

Parts of Scotland could see some unsettled weather this weekend, as the remnants of Hurricane Oscar brush past.

Guisers heading out for Halloween should expect some bad weather (Photo: Shutterstock)

by Alex Nelson

The category 1 hurricane is currently swirling out in the Atlantic, but is forecast to head towards the UK by the weekend, where it could cause disruption for north-western parts of the country.

By then it is expected to have weakened to an extratropical depression, but heavy rainfall and strong winds could still affect some areas.

“[Hurricane Oscar] is now moving to the north and it looks most likely that it will be the far northwest that experiences the strongest winds”, said Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern, after computer predictions initially put the storm on a more direct course with the UK.

With the Met Office warning of 65mph gusts in higher parts of the country, and 50mph winds predicted in the West, many Bonfire Night events could be postponed due to high winds.

Could Hurricane Oscar bring snow?

There will be one small advantage to Oscar’s deep area of low pressure - temperatures will be knocked back up towards average figures for this time of year.

“Warm tropical air is tied up in this system, so it will bump our temperatures up to average values,” said BBC Weather host Susan Powell.

"But it looks like it will perhaps bring us widespread gales, and a hooking of very heavy rain.”

Even those in more southerly areas will notice the weather becoming more unstable, with average gusts of 39mph expected across the UK.

Some have been predicting that unseasonably early snow could be on the way to the UK. The Met Office’s Alex Deakin said it is “not great news” for those wanting the white stuff.

“This week the weather is changing, and we are finally going to get more of a westerly influence, he said. “It is actually going to turn quite a bit milder by the weekend.”

Nightmare weather for Halloween

The unsettled weather is expected to come hot on the heels of Storm Adrian, which could provide wet conditions for Scotland’s guisers out for Halloween.

The storm has already caused flooding across Italy and the Alps, and temperatures could also drop towards freezing on Halloween night.

“It's nightmare Halloween weather for some,” said forecaster Brian Gaze, “and ex-Hurricane Oscar’s gales risk firework shows being cancelled at the weekend.”

The advice from Met Office forecaster Nicola Maxey is to “wrap up warm and dress for the conditions.”