THE remnants of Hurricane Lorenzo will hit East Lancashire later this week.

The weather front will arrive as an ex-hurricane, but will still bring very strong winds and heavy rain to the western areas of the British Isles.

Lorenzo is the strongest hurricane to have been recorded so far east in the Atlantic, the Met Office said, and it is expected to maintain category 2 winds, of up to 105mph, as it passes close to Azores, Portugal, today.

The Met Office said it is expected to transition into a deep low pressure system as it follows a north-easterly track towards UK and Ireland.

Chief meteorologist at the Met Office, Dan Suri said: "There has been considerable uncertainty over the potential track of Lorenzo after it passes The Azores.

"However we are now increasingly confident the remnants of Lorenzo will move towards the UK, bringing a spell of wet and very windy weather to western parts on Thursday and Friday.

"At the moment the strongest winds are expected in western Ireland, with a risk of coastal gales developing in Northern Ireland and western Scotland on Thursday and Wales and south-west England on Friday.

"Ex-Lorenzo will also bring spells of heavy rain to north-western parts of the UK through Thursday and Friday, particularly in Northern Ireland, western Scotland, central England and Wales.

"Our advice is to pay close attention to the weather forecast over the next couple of days and to keep an eye out for any weather warnings that may be issued in your area."

The Met Offices' outlook for Thursday onwards is fine, cold and sunny at first but skies will cloud over through the day with outbreaks of rain by the evening, with winds strengthening.

On Friday to Sunday, there will be heavy rain and strong winds, with a clearer patch through Saturday.

Deputy chief meteorologist, Tony Wardle, said: "The remnants of ex-Hurricane Lorenzo will gradually pull away from the UK later on Friday, though it'll remain unsettled with further spells of wet and windy weather as we head into the weekend."