The Met Office has delivered its verdict on impending Hurricane Erin, which is expected to be a "major" weather event. The weather agency issued an update on what the hurricane will mean for the UK as it swoops in from the Atlantic. Meteorologist Alex Burkill said: "Tropical Storm Erin, which is expected to strengthen pretty soon, is currently a tropical storm.

"Very soon it's going to become a hurricane as it pushes its way west, northwestwards, and then as we go through the weekend, it's likely to become a major hurricane." Alex offered different options for how Erin could play out over the Bank Holiday weekend, which could see "fine weather" or "very unsettled weather".

He added: "High pressure building across the country could bring some pretty fine weather to many places ... [But] we could see some very unsettled weather instead.

"What I think looks likely is Erin will come across the Atlantic, is going to push in. There's likely to be a ridge of high pressure building before it comes towards us, so we will have weather settling down for a little while."

Storm Erin caused a state of emergency to be declared on the islands of Sao Vicente and Santo Antao in Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa.

Approximately 1,500 people were reportedly forced to evacuate their homes due to the harsh conditions, resulting in nine fatalities.

The National Hurricane Centre has also issued a warning that Storm Erin is anticipated to reach the Leeward Islands, Bermuda or the east coast of the US.

A Met Office spokesperson added: "Overall, temperatures look to remain above average, with the potential for some further hot spells, especially in the south.

"One of the determining factors of the forecast through this period will be the behaviour of what is currently Tropical Storm Erin as it progresses into the North Atlantic; this being a quite typical source of uncertainty in late summer.

"Beyond Monday, the forecast becomes more uncertain, largely due to developments in the Atlantic. Tropical storm Erin is currently moving towards the United States, and its eventual path could influence UK weather."