Ophelia Might Be Strongest Storm to Hit Ireland in 50 Years

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Ophelia Might Be Strongest Storm to Hit Ireland in 50 Years
By Molly Olmstead

A woman walks her dogs in the Northern Ireland village Donaghadee on Oct. 16.

Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images

The remnants of Hurricane Ophelia buffeted Ireland on Monday in what might be the strongest storm to hit the country in 50 years.

Ophelia, now a post-tropical cyclone, is being blamed for one death after a tree fell on the car of a woman driving in the southeast area of the country, where gusts reached as much as 90 miles per hour, according to the Independent.

Ophelia was called the strongest eastern Atlantic hurricane ever known and is the first storm on record to attain Category 3 strength so far east. On Monday, Ireland saw torrential rain and hurricane-strength winds of more than 50 miles per hour. Around 120,000 homes and buildings were left without power, and the country went largely into a shutdown.




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Mike Seidel

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#Ophelia wind and waves ramping up at Cobh Port in #Cork#Ireland. Video via
Nathan Graepel

7:07 AM - Oct 16, 2017

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#Ophelia #aftermath Assessing the damage wrought. #Rathbarry #WestCork @westcorktimes @SouthernStarIRL@C103Cork @ClonlineRadio

9:13 AM - Oct 16, 2017 · Cork, Ireland

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An Garda Síochána

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Fallen trees and power lines in Killarney area Co Kerry this morning as result of #Ophelia Do not make unnecessary journeys. #staysafeIreland

6:54 AM - Oct 16, 2017

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The storm is projected to weaken and push into Scotland and northern England before leaving the British Isles altogether by Tuesday morning. A jet stream carries hurricanes and tropical storms north through across the Atlantic to Ireland and the U.K. every couple years or so, the Washington Post reports.

The greater damage from Ophelia may actually be in the Iberian Peninsula, as the storm’s strong winds fanned hundreds of wildfires in Portugal and Spain that have killed at least 30 people.



Ireland Hit by Remnants of Strongest Eastern Atlantic Hurricane on Record


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Bloomberg
15 mins ·
This is a rare weather phenomenon.


Hurricane Ophelia Gives London an Eerie Red Sky
The storm also brought gale-force winds to southern Ireland.
BLOOMBERG.COM

 

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first cat 3 so far up north....history brehs

 

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Several killed as Storm Ophelia slams Ireland

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© Daniel Sorabji, AFP | Office workers stand on their balcony to photograph the darkened sky over London on October 16, 2017 caused by warm air and dust swept up by storm Ophelia.
Text by NEWS WIRES

Latest update : 2017-10-16

The remnants of Hurricane Ophelia slammed into Ireland with wind gusts of up to 80 mph (130 kph) on Monday, killing at least three people, grounding planes, shutting schools and causing widespread power outages.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar urged people to stay indoors until the storm passed. Tens of thousands of homes were without power and the military was placed on standby. Some hurricane-force gusts were reported 30 years to the day after a weather event dubbed the "Great Storm of 1987" battered southern England.

"It is a very dangerous storm," Varadkar said. "The last time there was a storm this severe, 11 lives were lost," he added, referring to Hurricane Debbie, which hit Ireland in 1961.

Although Ophelia has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, Ireland's National Emergency Coordination Group on Severe Weather warned that the storm is still "unprecedented, with serious life-threatening conditions."




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Met Éireann

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Images from our Roches Point weather webcam.
Trees are coming down.
Roches Point has a mean wind speed of 111km/h
Gusts of 156km/h#Ophelia

7:24 AM - Oct 16, 2017

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Ireland's weather service, Met Eireann, described the storm as the most powerful on record to have ever been this far east in the Atlantic.

Forecasters warned of flying debris, such as tiles blown from roofs. Large waves around coastal districts tossed sand and rocks onto coastal roads, seafronts and properties.

Wind warnings were in place for Northern Ireland, parts of Wales and western parts of England. Planes were grounded at several locations in the British Isles.

Some 130 flights were cancelled at Dublin Airport, while flights were also grounded at Manchester Airport. Both Ryanair and Easy Jet cancelled flights at Belfast International Airport, with more cancellations expected. Several flights to British airports were also diverted because of unusual odors on board thought to be associated with the remnants of the storm.



the terrifying beauty of mama nature #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/k2GmMxRcPV

Stiofan mac (@REDEARL777) October 16, 2017


Authorities warned anyone with travel plans to contact their airline.

In parts of the United Kingdom and in France's Brittany region, the sky turned an eerie color as Ophelia's winds carried a mix of sand from the Sahara and particles from forest fires in Spain and Portugal. On social media, people posted pictures of London landmarks against yellow-orange skies.

A non-profit group that provides lifesaving services around the British Isles warned people to stay away from seas and beaches.

Matt Crofts, lifesaving manager for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, said coastal waters are "particularly dangerous and unpredictable, with large waves and swells being a major risk."

As tempting as it is to watch crashing surf, it isn't worth the risk of being struck by large waves that can easily knock weather watchers off their feet, Crofts said.

"The sea is far more powerful than you think and your chances of survival are slim if you are dragged into the swell," he said.

And there is more to come Tuesday. Flights and ferries were cancelled in parts of Scotland. The government of Ireland said schools and colleges would remain closed, and Northern Ireland's Education Authority said the same.

As the storm moved toward Northern Ireland, workers sealed off the Peace Bridge in Londonderry with tape and sandbags, closing it as a precautionary measure.

(AP)

Date created : 2017-10-16


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