Batten down the hatches, a hurricane could be headed Ireland’s way next week

Hurricane Ophelia’s planning on paying a visit and it’s not going to be pretty.

A tropical storm called Ophelia, expected to become Hurricane Ophelia on Thursday, is headed upwards from the Atlantic and could hit Ireland by early next week. According to the UK Met Office, Ireland and the UK can expect plenty of wind and rain early next week after a weekend when temperatures will be unseasonably high and could reach as high as 20 degrees in places. It is a testament to how temperamental the weather has been this year that we’ve already reached a storm beginning with the letter ‘O’ and though Ophelia is likely to be an “ex-hurricane” by the time it potentially reaches Ireland, it will still be capable of making a significant impact. https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/918131522607239168 Unlike most Atlantic storms, Ophelia is headed from west to east rather than in the opposite direction; with its centre some 785 miles southeast of the Azores, it is expected to pass by Portugal and Spain over the weekend before arriving in these parts early next week. Image via Twitter/Met Office Met Éireann, meanwhile, has forecast plenty of rain over the next two days after a decent start to Thursday. It will be particularly heavy on Friday morning, though temperatures will begin to increase to as high as 18 degrees on Friday and as high as 20 degrees with lengthy spells of sunshine on Saturday. The early forecast for Monday is for a stormy day, although there is uncertainty on the details due to the nature of the track of the Atlantic storm system. Whatever way you look at it, the outlook certainly doesn’t look particularly promising; best enjoy that unexpected burst of late summer on Saturday while it lasts.