Hurricane Ophelia’s sting in the tail set to hit Scotland in 3 days

SCOTLAND will be battered by a violent storm as the tail end of Hurricane Ophelia threatens to sweep across the country.

The Met Office has imposed a severe weather warning predicting 70mph winds which could cause damage to buildings and bring down trees.

The warning coincides with the anniversary of the Great Storm of October 1987, when 18 people were killed in southern England when winds hit 120mph.

It also comes just as many Scottish schoolchildren enjoy the start of this year’s October holiday.

Category 1 Hurricane Ophelia started life – as most hurricanes do – on the western coast of Africa.

But while most shoot across the South Atlantic towards the Caribbean and eastern United States, Ophelia has veered north towards Western Europe and the UK.

The US National Hurricane Center has been tracking Ophelia’s progress and estimates she will begin to approach Cornwall on Sunday evening, before barreling into Western Scotland around 8am on Monday.

She will follow a path towards the North East of Scotland during the day.

Weather men say the public should avoid sea fronts, as they could be injured by flying material. Power cuts are possible and mobile phone signals could be affected.

Grahame Madge of the Met Office said of the storm’s trajectory: ‘It is unusual, but not unknown.

‘We have had similar events in 2006 and 2009 where hurricanes have opted for a northerly course.

‘She is still a Category 1 hurricane and her winds will be extremely strong by the time she hits Portugal on Sunday morning. But by the time she gets to us, Ophelia will be an ex-hurricane and will have lost much of her strength and energy.

‘We will still be looking at gusts of between 50 and 60mph generally, with a possible 70mph in some exposed locations.

‘Despite the origins of this weather, people are unlikely to see any difference to the normal low pressure system we get from the Atlantic.’

The remnants of another Hurricane, called Nate, will result in some unseasonable temperatures in Scotland from today.

Nate has kicked the Jetstream north, meaning we attract warmer air from the continent because we are on the southern side of the fast-flowing ribbon of air, high in the atmosphere.

This means Aberdeen could see a balmy 20C (68F) any day from now until Sunday, although the temperature could fall to a low of 7C (44F).

Heavy rain is expected to clear later today, while rain is forecast in the North West tomorrow, with dry and clear scenes elsewhere.

On Sunday, there should be a mixture of bright and rainy intervals.

As for Ophelia, the storm will last all day Monday and the Met Office warning does not expire until midnight.

Similar weather events in the past have resulted in severe traffic disruption, with the country’s bridges closed to high-sided vehicles. Ferries and trains could also be affected.