Wales braced to feel the force of 70mph Ophelia
Wales is bracing itself for the effects of Hurricane Ophelia which is set to arrive with 70mph winds and huge waves.
Hurricane Ophelia is currently surging through the Atlantic, reaching speeds of up to 85mph.
The latest charts show that Ireland is set to bear the brunt of the storm, but there is also a severe weather warning in place for parts of Wales today and Monday.
The storm was upgraded to a category one hurricane on Wednesday, making it the 10th hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic season.
But the Met Office says Hurricane Ophelia will have turned into a “strong storm” by the time it arrives in the UK.
A severe weather warning for rain is in place today until 10am. Persistent rain is set to continue over north Wales into this morning.
The Met Office said: “Bus and train services will probably be affected with journey times taking longer. Spray and flooding on roads is also probable.
“Flooding of a few homes and business is possible.”
Parts of Wales have also been issued a severe weather warning for wind on Monday, lasting from midday to 11.55pm.
A Met Office spokesperson said: “A spell of very windy weather is likely on Monday in association with ex-Ophelia.
“Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are possible.
“There is a slight chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.
“There is a slight chance of some damage to buildings, such as tiles from roofs.
“It is possible that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves.
“There is also a small chance that injuries could occur from beach material being thrown onto sea fronts.”
The storm is set to reach the UK some 30 years since the Great Storm of 1987 killed 30 people across Great Britain, France and the Channel Islands.
The storm on October 15 brought 120mph winds, causing heavy damage to the National Grid and felled around 15 million trees.
For some the hurricane could bring some of the best surfing conditions in a long time across southwest Wales.
Surfers across Wales will be praying for light winds as huge waves caused by a hurricane head towards Pembrokeshire and Gower.
Former European surfing champion Chris “Guts” Griffiths said: “If we have that swell without wind, happy days.”
Chris said the strength of the wind and its direction would determine how ride-able the waves were, with a strong south-westerly making it nigh on impossible to surf the usual spots.
“Most people would try Oxwich (with a south-westerly) as it’s more sheltered, and you may even get perfect little peelers at high tide at Mumbles, near the bottom of Newton Road,” he said.