Hurricane Melissa to Bring Wet, Windy Weather to Northern Europe

Hurricane Melissa is forecast to dissipate in the Atlantic Ocean next week, bringing wet and windy weather to northern Europe after wrecking havoc across the Caribbean.

The record-setting storm left a trail of destruction in Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica, causing at least 33 deaths and almost $8 billion in damage. Now a weakened Category 1 storm, Melissa is expected to cross near Bermuda on Thursday as it continues moving northeast into the Atlantic, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

Melissa is expected to degrade into an extra-tropical cyclone on Friday, when its remnants will likely be picked up by the jet stream and carried toward the UK early next week, according to the UK Met Office.

Major weather models show those low-pressure remnants arriving near Iceland and Scotland by Monday, UK Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said in a video briefing. “As that takes place, it’s likely to bring outbreaks of rain and stronger winds,” he said.

That scenario would boost wind generation across Ireland, the UK and Norway, which is also set for a strong hydropower boost, according to analysis from MetDesk meteorologist Matthew Dobson.

This shift may be welcome in southern Norway where hydro reservoirs have experienced below-average water levels since mid-May.

Reservoirs in Norway’s NO2 price zone — which links to the UK and Germany — remain below the 20-year average, according to data from the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate.