Dennis the menace: North Atlantic storm could break records

A huge storm is forecast to form in the North Atlantic, then batter the United Kingdom

UPDATE 2/13 12:30 PM ET: The GFS is now forecasting 913 mb, and the NASA Worldview Satellite is now showing a great shot of the storm:

Storm Dennis at 12:30 PM ET

The OPC is analyzing a dual-barreled 940/942 mb low pressure system.

2/13 8:30 AM: The ECMWF (Euro) and GFS (U.S.) forecast models are both predicting a 915 mb low pressure system in the North Atlantic Saturday (as of Thursday's overnight model runs). Here's what it looks like on the maps:

The U.S. GFS model forecasts a 915 mb low pressure system Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020.

Records for the area aren't well-maintained, but sources say that 913 mb is the number for the most intense extratropical storm to grace the North Atlantic seas during the modern era (there was one in 1986 and one in 1993). The storm had already strengthened at nearly twice the "bomb cyclone" threshold as of Thursday morning (46 mb instead of the required 24 mb in 24 hours).

Atlantic surface analysis for 06Z Feb. 13, 2020

Although some models earlier this week were predicting 97-foot waves, NOAA's Ocean Prediction Center is forecasting 50-footers, with the WaveWatchIII model predicting waves over 48 feet, which is literally off the scale.

The WaveWatchIII model's forecast of waves on Friday morning.

The storm will move north of Ireland and the United Kingdom, bringing high winds and flooding once again. (Storm Ciara just hit last week).