HELL STORM
80MPH hurricane blasts UK 3 die as sun turns blood red in yellow sky
STORM-BATTERED Britain is braced for a deadly pounding today after Hurricane Ophelia claimed three lives in Ireland.
Amber weather warnings are in force across much of the north as experts say the weather front could caused devastation.
They fear tragedies such as those suffered in Ireland could be repeated.
Michael Pyke, 31, was killed in a chainsaw accident in Co Tipperary.
Cancer nurse and mum-of-two Clare O’Neill, in her 50s, died in Waterford and a man was killed at Dundalk after trees fell on their cars.
The hurricane is feared to be the worst weather front to lash Ireland for 56 years.
Ophelia grounded flights, tore off stadium and school roofs and cut power to more than 120,000 homes.
Doctors’ surgeries were also shut, office workers were sent home early and Ireland’s public transport ground to a halt.
The UK escaped major damage yesterday although high winds sent waves crashing in Cornwall and across the south coast.
But remnants of Ophelia’s fury will sweep across Britain this morning, especially the north and north east of the country.
Emergency services and hospitals across the UK are on high alert today for casualties and evacuations.
John Hammond, of Weather Trending, said: “Ophelia will finally exit stage right on Tuesday morning.
“But the UK can expect to see further wild weather over the next week or so as Ophelia proves the warm-up act for a menacing series of deep depressions which will unleash heavy rain and strong winds.
“The weather fronts following in Ophelia’s wake could cause disruption across an even wider swathe of the UK.”
A number of flights to England also had to perform emergency landings as travellers reported smoke pouring out of cockpits and burning smells due to Ophelia. AT least 32 people have been killed by wildfires in Portugal, with the death toll expected to rise.
Last night emergency services said more than 50 people remained missing, including a 15-month-old baby.