Ophelia to slam UK with powerful winds, downpours into Tuesday

Ophelia will unleash destructive winds across parts of the United Kingdom into Tuesday.

The heaviest rainfall is expected across Northern Ireland and Scotland with a few blustery showers across Wales and Northern England.

Elsewhere, the warmth from the weekend will be swept away by Tuesday; however little or no rainfall is expected.

On Saturday, Ophelia strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane before weakening and losing its tropical characteristics on Sunday.

However, Ophelia will still be a powerful windstorm as it tracks across Northern Ireland and into western and northern Scotland before racing into the North Sea on Tuesday.

Wind gusts of 60-70 mph (96-129 km/h) may cause power cuts and significant travel disruptions throughout Northern Ireland, southern Scotland, western Wales and far northern England. Some structures may sustain damage and flying debris could result in injury.

"There is likely to be local wind gusts over 80 mph (129 km/h) across the high terrain of western Scotland and coastal regions of the Irish Sea and gusts to 100 mph (161 km/h) can’t be ruled out," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys.

Travel by road, rail and air will be impacted along with the potential for disruption or closure of ferry services.

"The strongest winds will impact Northern Ireland into Monday night," said Roys.

"Scotland, Wales, Northern England and the Midlands will receive their strongest winds Monday night into early on Tuesday," added Roys.

Gusts strong enough to cause sporadic power cuts may also howl eastward to Plymouth and Manchester. Latest indications keep these winds to the north and west of London, where wind gusts are expected to peak near 30 mph (48 km/h).

Dangerously rough seas will build over the Atlantic Ocean and into the Celtic and Irish seas as Ophelia makes its closest approach. Coastal flooding, large waves and sea spray may all impact coastal locations and roadways.

<b>RELATED:</b><br><em><a href="http://www.accuweather.com/en/gb/united-kingdom-weather">United Kingdom Weather Center</a><br><a href="http://www.accuweather.com/get/weather?page=minutecast">MinuteCast® for your location</a><br><a href="http://www.accuweather.com/en/gb/london/ec4a-2/weather-radar/328328">Interactive United Kingdom weather radar</a></em>

Powerful winds will be the greatest threat from Ophelia; however, flooding downpours will also be a concern for some areas.

The heaviest rainfall is expected across Northern Ireland and western Scotland where downpours can total 50-100 mm (2-4 inches) into Tuesday.

Blustery showers are also expected throughout South West England, Wales and Northern England, but flooding is not expected in these areas.

On the heels of Ophelia, another storm from the Atlantic will continue the threat for rain and wind during the middle of the week. This rainfall on top of the rain from Ophelia will heighten the risk for flooding.

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