Environment

Ireland may face ‘very disturbed weather’ as Hurricane Helene hits

Met Office says the tip of Ireland could be among the areas worst affected by the storm

Met Éireann has warned that ‘very disturbed weather’ may be on the way next week, as Hurricane Helene travels across the Atlantic. File photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times

Aine McMahon
Thu Sep 13 2018 - 21:04

Met Éireann has warned that "very disturbed weather" may be on the way next week, as Hurricane Helene travels across the Atlantic.

Ahead of its predicted arrival in Ireland, Met Éireann issued an update saying that while "there is a large degree of uncertainty in the details at present", the weather could be "potentially very disturbed early next week".

The forecaster said there was a risk of some extremely windy conditions with heavy rainfall on Monday night or Tuesday morning.

The UK’s Met Office said Helene is heading east towards Britain and Ireland, and the tip of Ireland may be among the areas worst affected by the storm.

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Emma Smith, meteorologist with the Met Office, said: "Helene is moving up from the Atlantic towards us.

“Hurricane Joyce is also in the Atlantic so we need to see how those two systems are going to move around each other because that could have an impact.

"It looks like Helene will move towards Ireland on Tuesday morning. It's possible that the west coast of Wales and Cornwall could get some winds as well, but we will get a clearer picture of what to expect very soon."

Tropical storm

Meanwhile. the US National Hurricane Centre said Hurricane Helene may be downgraded to a tropical storm.

“A turn toward the north and northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected during the next few days.

“Maximum sustained winds remain near 150km/h with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is forecast over the next couple of days, and Helene is expected to become a tropical storm on Thursday,” according to the centre’s website.

Earlier this week, Met Éireann released a list of 21 storm names for this winter, including Saoirse, Bronagh, Idris and Gareth. – Additional reporting: PA

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