Daily Mail

Great Storm II? 80mph Ophelia to batter the UK

- By Emine Sinmaz

‘Flying debris is likely’

WINDS gusting up to 80mph will batter Britain today – 30 years after the Great Storm of 1987 swept across the South East, killing 18 people and uprooting 15 million trees.

The Met Office warned of travel chaos, power cuts and a risk to life as Hurricane Ophelia arrives from the Atlantic.

The remnants of Ophelia, now downgraded to a storm, will cause ‘exceptiona­l’ conditions in parts of the UK today. The Met Office has issued an amber warning, meaning there is a ‘potential risk to life and property’, for Northern Ireland.

Severe weather alerts – warning of power cuts, flying debris, transport problems and a disruption to mobile phone signals – are in place for much of Wales, Scotland, the North East, the North West, the South West and the West Midlands.

As well as high winds, heavy rain is possible in parts of Northern Ireland and western Scotland. A red warning – the highest – has been issued for parts of Ireland, which is likely to see its worst storm since 1961. Armed forces were last night dispatched to bolster flood defences as the Irish authoritie­s warned against non-essential travel.

Gusts of 55 to 65mph are likely across Northern Ireland with 70 to 80mph further south. Wales may also see gusts of 70 to 75mph, while Devon and Cornwall could see gusts of up to 60mph. The Met Office warned: ‘Longer journey times and cancellati­ons are likely, as road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected as well as some bridge closures.

‘There is a good chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.

‘Flying debris is likely, such as tiles blown from roofs, as well as large waves around coastal dis- tricts with beach material being thrown on to coastal roads, sea fronts and properties.

‘This leads to the potential for injuries and danger to life.’

Met Office forecaster Luke Miall said: ‘We do get these sorts of strengths of winds most winters. But this is quite a substantia­l system. It’s pretty exceptiona­l.’

Mr Miall said Ophelia may no longer be a hurricane but will still bring ‘hurricane-force’ winds.

Despite the strong winds in other parts of the country, the South East and parts of East Anglia will enjoy unseasonab­ly warm temperatur­es of up to 77F (25C) today.

But temperatur­es will return to nearer normal tomorrow with highs of 64F (18C).

The warm weather experience­d in parts of Britain ahead of Ophelia has seen swarms of deadly Portuguese man o’war – marine creatures that resemble jellyfish – washed up on beaches along the South Coast and parts of Wales. Their venomous tentacles can deliver a painful sting which can prove fatal.

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