amounts of rain to the UK into next week. Hurricane Erin is currently a major storm which is forecast to bring considerable amounts of rain to the eastern coast of the United States.

Although at this stage Erin is not expected to make a direct hit to land, the rains caused by the storm are already beginning to hit the south-eastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, where a tropical storm warning is in effect. Some media outlets are suggesting a '600-mile wall of rain' will hit the UK as a result of Erin. BBC lead weather presenter and meteorologist Simon King explains that this is physically impossible.

He said: "These reports are simply suggesting that the low pressure containing the remnants of hurricane Erin would be 600 miles wide as it moves to the west of the UK, a size very typical for this type of weather system that affects the UK. "Rain doesn't fall in a continuous sheet stretching for hundreds of miles so there'll be no 'wall of rain' to come with it either." Hurricane Erin has strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane as it threatens to bring life-threatening surf and rip currents to the eastern coast of the United States. However, the effects of Erin are not due to be felt in the UK's weather until next week. (BBC)