In Photos: Damage in Ireland, U.K. from 'historic' Ophelia
theweathernetwork.com
Tuesday, October 17, 2017, 10:40 AM - Hurricane Ophelia battered the British Isles to start the week, bringing damaging winds, major power outages, and strong storm surge.
The now ex-hurricane Ophelia set the record for easternmost category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic Basin before becoming officially post-tropical late Sunday night. By noon Monday, local time, airports across Ireland were reporting winds gusting as high as 130 km/h.
Ireland's national weather service, Met Éireann, called Ophelia the strongest storm to affect the island in 50 years, comparing it to 1961's Storm Debbie, which killed 18 people. The storm arrived in the United Kingdom on the 30th anniversary of the Great Storm of 1987, which killed at least 22 people in England and France.
News agencies have announced three fatalities associated with the storm as of Monday evening, local time. All three are related to fallen trees.
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The storm has also drawn Saharan sand as far north as the isles, along with smoke from the uncontrolled fires in Spain and Portugal, which made for a surreal sunrise on Monday morning and twilight skies for much of the day across parts of Ireland and the U.K.
Sources: Irish Times | Met Office | Met Éireann
