HURRICANE Ophelia has developed a terrifying 'sting jet' that could see winds of up to 100mph could smash into the UK and Ireland today.
Hurricane Ophelia is thought to have developed a 'sting jet.' This is described by the Met office as a “meteorological phenomenon” and is caused by low air pressure accelerating winds to extremely high speeds.
The latest video from EUMETSAT shows the post-tropical cyclone developing the terrifying sting jet, meaning exceptionally strong winds could batter the UK today.
Ophelia has been downgraded from a category 1 hurricane to a strong post-tropical storm with winds of over 85mph being near hurricane strength.
The most recent update from the NOAA at 4am BST located Hurricane Ophelia about 200 miles southwest of Mizen Head in Ireland.
The NOAA said:“ Ophelia is expected to be a powerful extratropical cyclone with hurricane force winds Monday while it moves near Ireland and the United Kingdom.
“Direct impacts from wind and heavy rain in portions of these areas are likely, along with dangerous marine conditions.”
The Met Office has extended its amber weather warning to include parts of north and west Wales and the southwest of Scotland.
“There is a good chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage,” the Met Office said.
“Flying debris is likely, such as tiles blown from roofs, as well as large waves around coastal districts with beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties.
“This leads to the potential for injuries and danger to life. This warning has been updated to extend it into parts of north and west Wales and into the extreme southwest of Scotland.”
The weather warning for southwest Wales has been brought forward and will now come into effect at 12pm.
Hurricane Ophelia has caused travel chaos throughout Ireland, with residents being urged to remain indoors and stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.