Lorenzo set for direct hit on Ireland

Hurricane Lorenzo, the largest storm ever to roam the Eastern Atlantic, is forecast to strike the heart of Ireland’s west coast within days carrying tropical-strength winds, driving rain and a huge storm surge.

Once a Category 5 hurricane with 160 mph winds, Lorenzo has lost some of its fury. But as its winds have ebbed to around 100 mph, it has swelled in size. Its scope now extends 345 miles from its center, with hurricane force winds reaching 90 miles. That’s a record for that part of the Atlantic, according to Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist at Colorado State University.

The storm was initially forecast to just graze Ireland, but the latest track shows an eastern bend that has Lorenzo striking Ireland’s west coast between Sligo and Galway. The storm’s huge size likely guarantees a significant impact on a country that’s only 171 miles at its widest point.

“This thing is huge,” said Jeff Masters, co-founder of Weather Underground, an IBM business, by telephone. “That is a massive wind field and a massive wave field. It is going to cause impacts.”

Lorenzo will likely cause problems for ships and offshore energy facilities in Ireland and the U.K., said Jim Rouiller, chief meteorologist at the Energy Weather Group outside Philadelphia. Swells could reach 30 to 60 feet as the storm nears the islands late Thursday into Friday. It’s the third time in three years Europe, a continent not historically known for hurricane strikes, has been hit by major storms.