Met Office reveals how Hurricane Milton will affect UK weather forecasts

Milton, previously hailed as the strongest storm to hit Florida in a century, will drift eastwards off the Florida coast over the next couple of days after wreaking local havoc

Hurricane Milton could end up crossing the Atlantic from the US, the Met Office has warned, as it converts into a tropical storm after tearing through the US.

Americans have been warned to "get out now" as the hurricane, branded "extremely dangerous" by Florida officials, buffets the state after landing with 120mph winds. While it has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm since making landfall, the system is still deadly, with authorities confirming two people dead so far.

Milton has torn cranes from buildings, sparked tornadoes, and unleashed thousands of lightning strikes, leaving people in its path terrified. Some of that fear has spread to Britons, given the UK's well-established track record of catching American storms after they drift across the Atlantic Ocean.

While some people may worry about Milton crossing the pond, the Met Office has largely dispelled any fears that it may do so in a recent forecast. The agency expects the storm will enter Atlantic open waters and start moving towards the British Isles, but that it'll weaken significantly as it makes the crossing.

The forecast states that remnants of Milton will likely be absorbed into oceanic air masses en route to the UK, or possibly dissipate altogether. The Met Office predicted: "Milton is expected to weaken to a tropical storm once over the open waters of the Atlantic and transition into an extratropical storm after it passes to the south of Bermuda."

"Beyond this, the remnant is likely to either be absorbed into a frontal zone or dissipate in situ in the subtropical Atlantic." If Milton does impact the UK at all, the Met Office predicts it will, at the most, cause some "forecast uncertainty". The forecast concludes: "If the remnants of Milton end up in the Atlantic as a weakening feature, it could cause some forecast uncertainty next week."

The storm will wreak havoc in the US until then, where it is forecast to move north through central Florida while hugging the coast before it drifts further into the Atlantic. US weather officials have issued flash flood warnings due to storm surges, and have said the system is sustaining 84mph winds.