The Met Office has warned falling trees and debris could pose a risk to life when Hurricane Ophelia makes landfall over the British Isles in the coming days.
Winds of up to 70mph (113km/h) are expected to hit Northern Ireland, northern England and Wales and southern and central Scotland on Monday, lasting well into the night.
The weather system will lose it’s “Hurricane” status but remains a “major storm”.
Originating in the Azores, Ophelia is currently over the Atlantic Ocean with winds gusting around 105mph (168km/h)
The Republic of Ireland which will bear the brunt has issued a red weather warning and its government will hold an emergency response meeting tomorrow.
Ophelia comes exactly 30 years after the Great Storm of 1987 killed 18 people shortly after Michael Fish’s now infamous dismissal of a hurricane (technically, he was right, it wasn’t a hurricane).
The amber weather warning for Northern Ireland is as follows:
Between 15:00 Mon 16th and 22:00 Mon 16th
A spell of very windy weather is expected on Monday in association with ex-Ophelia. 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 districts with beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties. This leads to the potential for injuries and danger to life.
The yellow weather warning for northern England and Wales and southern and central Scotland reads:
Between 12:00 Mon 16th and 23:55 Mon 16th
A spell of very windy weather is likely on Monday in association with ex-Ophelia. Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journeys times and cancellations possible. Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage. Some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs could happen, perhaps leading to injuries and danger to life from flying debris. Coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities may be affected by spray and/or large waves. The warning has been updated to extend the area at risk further east, taking in much of northern England and Wales along with parts of southern and central Scotland. At the same time, much of northwest Scotland has been removed.
Meanwhile, the mercury is set to rise over the coming days, with temperatures of 25C (77F) predicted.
A Met Office spokeswoman said: “The east side of the country certainly benefiting from some warmer temperatures into the weekend and at the start of next week.”
She said temperatures in the south east will be around 20C (68F), going up to 22C (72F) or 23C (73F) on Sunday and “almost mid 20s” on Monday, possibly getting to around 25C (77F).