Another Hurricane this time aimed at the UK

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https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4667902/hurricane-ophelia-path-storm-hit-britain-uk-weather-latest/

Will Hurricane Ophelia hit Britain?


Hurricane Ophelia is predicted to hit Britain early next week.

The storm was upgraded to a category one hurricane on the night of Wednesday October 11 – making it the tenth hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic season.

It was then upgraded again to a category two storm on the following night as it continued to strengthen.

It is currently just over 600 miles south-west of the Portuguese Azore islands, whipping up 105mph winds as it trundles eastwards, according to the US National Hurricane Centre.

The storm is moving along at a speed of seven miles an hour but it is forecast to significantly pick up pace.

But Ophelia will not be at hurricane status by the time it reaches the UK, as our waters are not warm enough to sustain it at that strength.

It is expected to weaken somewhat Friday night but remain a hurricane for the next couple of days.

Met Office forecaster Alex Burkhill said on Thursday: "Ophelia became a hurricane overnight and the forecast track takes it eastwards towards Iberia for the weekend.

"After that, indications are that by that point it will then have weakened and be no longer a hurricane or tropical storm – it will be extratropical.

"But then it will continue its way towards the British Isles, probably reaching us very early next week."

Ophelia’s arrival will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Great Storm of 1987, which hit southern England overnight on October 15.

The storm caused damage estimated at £1billion and claimed 18 lives.


The storm will no longer be hurricane strength by the time it hits Britain
What is the latest UK weather forecast?

The remnants of Ophelia are predicted to strike the British Isles on Monday and although it will no longer be a hurricane, experts have warned it could still pack a punch.

The west coast of Ireland and Scotland are expected to suffer most with strong winds.

Western Britain will also likely be battered by gusts of between 60mph and 70mph.

In contrast the east of England could see much nicer weather, with temperatures skyrocketing as the system arrives from the tropics.

The Met Office predicts some parts of the eastern areas could see highs of 23C on Sunday, with the possibility of even warmer temperatures on Monday.

Overall, the unsettled weather looks likely to continue into Tuesday due to a separate band of low pressure, and will remain changeable throughout the rest of the week.

A Met Office spokesman said: "When the storm arrives it will still maintain some of that energy [from Hurricane Ophelia] but it means it will be downgraded so it won't be a hurricane by the time it reaches the UK.

"At the moment it looks like it's going to track along the side of the west coast of Ireland and just brushes the edge of Scotland.

"However there will be some pretty strong winds but not huge amounts of rain.

"We are going to see some pretty strong conditions, certainly some gales across the west.

"The only place that escapes the strong weather is the east.

"We are going to import some of that heat, we could still see 22-23C on Sunday – it may creep up on Monday."