Ireland and Britain Brace for Unusual European Hurricane
Ireland and Britain Brace for Unusual European Hurricane
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said on Sunday that, as of 11 a.m. Atlantic Standard Time, Ophelia had slowed to a Category 1
but was still dangerous, with top sustained winds near 90 miles an hour, with stronger gusts.
Britain’s meteorological service said that Ophelia’s winds were likely to disrupt train and air travel on Monday with "a good chance
that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage." Flying debris was also probable, it said, with "the potential for injuries and danger to life" along coastal roads and seafronts.
Hurricane Ophelia, the 10th hurricane of the Atlantic season, was spinning toward Ireland on Sunday, bringing
with it the potential for structural damage, significant coastal flooding and dangerously high seas.
Monday is also the 30th anniversary of the Great Storm of 1987, during which winds as high as 100 miles an hour tore across England, killing 18 people
and uprooting 15 million trees, according to the Met Office.
Forecasters added that they expected Ophelia to weaken to become a "post-tropical cyclone" by the time it reached Ireland’s coast on Monday, but
that it would still bring hurricane-force winds gusting up to 80 miles an hour.
The Irish national weather service, Met Eireann, said rain would be widespread
and persistent on Sunday night with a risk of thunderstorms in counties along the Atlantic.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said on Sunday that, as of 11 a.m. Atlantic Standard Time, Ophelia had slowed to a Category 1
but was still dangerous, with top sustained winds near 90 miles an hour, with stronger gusts.
Britain’s meteorological service said that Ophelia’s winds were likely to disrupt train and air travel on Monday with "a good chance
that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage." Flying debris was also probable, it said, with "the potential for injuries and danger to life" along coastal roads and seafronts.
Hurricane Ophelia, the 10th hurricane of the Atlantic season, was spinning toward Ireland on Sunday, bringing
with it the potential for structural damage, significant coastal flooding and dangerously high seas.
Monday is also the 30th anniversary of the Great Storm of 1987, during which winds as high as 100 miles an hour tore across England, killing 18 people
and uprooting 15 million trees, according to the Met Office.
Forecasters added that they expected Ophelia to weaken to become a "post-tropical cyclone" by the time it reached Ireland’s coast on Monday, but
that it would still bring hurricane-force winds gusting up to 80 miles an hour.
The Irish national weather service, Met Eireann, said rain would be widespread
and persistent on Sunday night with a risk of thunderstorms in counties along the Atlantic.