Hurricane Ophelia reaches Category 2 intensity, to make rare run at Ireland and UK
The 2017 hurricane season appears likely to make its mark on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, as Category 2 Hurricane Ophelia takes aim at ... wait for it ... Ireland and the UK.
The storm, which had sustained winds of 100 miles per hour as of 5 p.m. ET, is a rarity for being so intense, and so far to the north and east in the Atlantic. In fact, it's the most intense hurricane ever observed so far east during the month of October, according to meteorologist Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University.
Typically, hurricanes develop well to the south of Ophelia's position, and get swept westward with the trade winds just north of the equator. During October, when ocean temperatures begin to drop and upper level winds increase the further north one goes in the North Atlantic, storms tend to form in the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean.
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In other words, Ophelia is an outlier.
This storm will get picked up by a different river of air: the midlatitude jet stream, which blows from west to east across the Northern Hemisphere. The National Hurricane Center expects the storm to meander slowly through the next few days, before encountering stronger upper level winds that will start drawing it eastward, and then to the north.
Sometime on Monday, Hurricane Ophelia is likely to become an ex-hurricane, by transitioning into a storm that feeds off the differences between air masses, known as a "baroclinic system," rather than a tropical cyclone that derives its energy from the heat and moisture flux off the ocean.
This transformation will not weaken the storm's winds much, though, so Ireland and the U.K. are preparing for a potentially strong storm to start the week, with some areas likely to see hurricane-force winds from this system. Hurricanes that undergo transitions from tropical to extratropical systems tend to feature greatly expanded wind fields, compared to the tight core of winds near the center, or eye, of a hurricane.
Computer model projections disagree on exactly how close the storm — in whatever form it is at that time — will pass to the UK and Ireland on Monday, but are in general agreement on its direction and evolution.
Here's how the Hurricane Center summarized the uncertainty involved in the forecast, and what it means for Great Britain and Ireland:
Ophelia is expected to transition to a hurricane-force post-tropical cyclone by Monday when it moves near Ireland and the United Kingdom. While post tropical Ophelia will likely bring some direct impacts from wind and heavy rain to portions of these areas, as well as dangerous marine conditions, given the forecast uncertainty at these time ranges it is too soon to determine the exact magnitude, timing and location of the impacts. Residents in Ireland and the United Kingdom should monitor the progress of Ophelia for the next several days. For more information on local impacts, residents of Ireland should refer to products issued by Met Eireann and residents in the United Kingdom should refer to products issued by the Met Office.
Computer model projections show what is now Hurricane Ophelia approaching Great Britain and Ireland as a hurricane-force low pressure area by late in the weekend and early next week. Such a storm would pose multiple hazards, including strong winds, high waves, and heavy rain.
Andrew Freedman is Mashable's Senior Editor for Science and Special Projects. Prior to working at Mashable, Freedman was a Senior Science writer for Climate Central. He has also worked as a reporter for Congressional Quarterly and Greenwire/E&E Daily. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, online at The Weather Channel, and washingtonpost.com, where he wrote a weekly climate science column for the "Capital Weather Gang" blog. He has provided commentary on climate science and policy for Sky News, CBC Radio, NPR, Al Jazeera, Sirius XM Radio, PBS NewsHour, and other national and international outlets. He holds a Masters in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
