Powerful Hurricane Ophelia heads toward Ireland

By Steve Almasy, CNN

(CNN) -- Record-setting Ophelia, a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (115 mph), was passing south of the Azores on Saturday on its path toward Ireland.

Ophelia will have big impacts for the British Isles beginning Monday, including hurricane-force winds forecast for Ireland.

The fast-moving storm intensified Saturday.

"The odd part about Ophelia is seeing this intensification take place in what's normally a much cooler region of the Atlantic Ocean," CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar said.

Little change in strength is expected Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center said.

Ophelia is expected to drop 1 to 3 inches over parts of the Azores on Saturday.

"Wind is going to be the biggest factor," Chinchar said of the forecast for Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, where wind gusts could reach 130 kph (80mph). The coasts of Portugal and Spain will see wind gusts of up to 90 kph (56 mph).

Chinchar said because the storm is racing along at more than 44 kph (28 mph), it won't have much of a chance to deluge Ireland.

Met Éireann, Ireland's National Meteorological Service, issued a red wind warning covering the counties of Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry and Mayo.

It said the storm could bring fierce winds "potentially causing structural damage and disruption, with dangerous marine conditions due to high seas and potential flooding."

Ophelia is the farthest east that a major hurricane has ever been in the Atlantic. The previous record was held by Frances in 1980, according to CNN Meteorologist Haley Brink.

The storm is the sixth major hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic basin hurricane season and the 10th consecutive named storm in the Atlantic to become a hurricane. The latter milestone ties a record that has occurred three times, most recently in 1893, more than a century ago.

The storm will likely change characteristics, and Ophelia, while still having sustained winds of more than 160 kph (100 mph), won't be called a hurricane by the time the center reaches Ireland. Technically it will be a post-tropical or extratropical cyclone instead of a tropical cyclone. As it moves northeast the storm will weaken and forecasters said it will dissipate by Wednesday.

The-CNN-Wire

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