As the 10th named hurricane of the 2017 season, Ophelia has made its own headlines, much like Hurricane Harvey, which dumped 40 to 60 inches (100 to 150 centimeters) of rain on Houston, Texas, and Hurricane Maria, the first Category 5 storm to hit the Caribbean island of Dominica head-on, and cause the near-complete devastation of the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
Michael Lowry, of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, tweeted that the 2017 season has seen more days with a Category 5 hurricane than any year on record, according to Live Science. We can add that 2017 is only the fourth year on record where 10 hurricanes have formed in a row.
Hurricane Ophelia’s claim to fame
With its 90 mph (150 kph) winds and higher gusts today, Ophelia, now a Category 1 hurricane, is the strongest storm to form so far east in the Atlantic Ocean on record, Klotzbach tweeted. And Eric Blake, a forecaster with the National Hurricane Center, tweeted, a Category 2 hurricane hasn’t developed that far north and east since 1992.
The Met Office has warned of a “danger to life from flying debris” with 50 to 60 mph (80 to 97 kph) winds expected in coastal areas, particularly in Northern Ireland, as the remnants of the hurricane hit on Monday. Some parts of the UK will see temperatures rising to 25C today and are expected to escape the worst of the storm.
The warmer temperatures will be the result of the hurricane barreling towards the UK, as the tail end of the storm drags warm air from the continent with it. A Met Office spokeswoman said: “The east side of the country is certainly benefiting from some warmer temperatures into the weekend and at the start of next week.”
Latest Forecast for Ophelia
According to the Met Office, There will be patchy rain over Northern Ireland and southern Scotland this evening, before heavier rain arrives by morning. Drier and cooler conditions across northern Scotland. Dry and mild elsewhere with a few showers in the west. Becoming very windy in the southwest later.
On Monday, it will be cloudy in the north and west with some heavy rain. Turning very windy in western areas with severe gales developing. Becoming breezy further south and east with some warm sunshine. Toward the end of the week, there will still be some wet and windy weather through Thursday.
