A record 10th consecutive hurricane in the Atlantic is headed toward Europe.
Hurricane Ophelia, a category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, is currently about 615 miles southwest of the Azores, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm’s center is forecast to continue moving east-northeast, passing near or to the southeast of the southeastern Azores Saturday and Saturday night, with only slight weakening expected over the next two days.
Looking further ahead, CNN reports that Hurricane Ophelia could pass very close to Ireland and the United Kingdom Monday and Tuesday. While cooler waters are expected to weaken the storm, it is likely to remain a hurricane.
Currently, no watches or warnings are in effect, according to the NHC, although people in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the Azores are advised to continue monitoring the storm.
According to CNN, Hurricane Ophelia is part of a record streak of 10 hurricanes in the Atlantic this hurricane season, which began with Tropical Storm Franklin in the Gulf of Mexico. A 10-storm streak hasn’t happened since 1893, and it has only happened four times in recorded history: 1878, 1886, 1893 and 2017. At the same time, named storms were more likely to be hurricanes in the 19th century, because a lack of satellites and modern technology meant that stronger storms, as well as those that made landfall, were the most likely to be noticed.
Thus far airlines have not issued any flight change waivers as a result of the storm. We’ll continue posting updates on www.travelagentcentral.com as more information becomes available.
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