Hurricane Ophelia Hits UK 30 Years On From Great Storm Of 1987

The UK and Ireland are preparing as the Met Office has warned that Hurricane Ophelia could bring 'potential danger to life', as it brings winds of 80mph (130km/h) speed.

The BBC reports that an amber warning has been issued to Northern Ireland, parts of Wales and south-west Scotland.

"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," The Met Office said in a statement.

"This leads to the potential for injuries and danger to life."

The storm approaches Ireland. Credit: Newsflare

It's reportedly the biggest storm to come to the UK in 21 years, since Hurricane Lili caused devastation in 1996.

Superstitious people have another level of worry about the storm, though, as the date appears to be an area of concern.

Ophelia is due to fully sweep through the UK tomorrow, Tuesday 17 October, the same date the Great Storm of 1987 wreaked havoc 30 years ago.

The storm killed 18 people and caused around £2 billion ($1.5bn) worth of damage, and now some people think the date might be an omen.

Warnings are popping up all over the country, with some schools closing, flights being grounded and creatures being blown over to our shores.

A plethora of Portuguese man o' war have also reportedly been blown toward English shores. The creatures resemble jellyfish but are actually siphonophores, according to Huffington Post.

Chris Sallows from the UK Coastguard said: "We are aware of these sightings after receiving multiple reports from members of the public yesterday and today.

"Until an accurate identification is made, members of the public are advised to keep away from these jellyfish and report any sighting to their local council.

"The Coastguard has also advised the local councils of these recent sightings. Stings from Portuguese man o'war can be very painful and potentially harmful to humans and dogs alike."

A lot of people are also starting to notice is that the sun appears to be very red, casting a sepia-like filter across the country.

According to Bristol Post the Met Office were investigating what created the odd sensation, predicting it could be due to a large amount of dust from the Sahara, and wildfires in Spain and Portugal.

"We're getting reports from Devon and Cornwall and to see this kind of report from Bristol is very interesting," a spokesman for the Met Office told the newspaper.

"It's something we're investigating, it could well be the cause for this."

Topics: Ireland, Weather, UK News, Storm, UK

Mark McGowan

Mark is a journalist at LADbible, who joined in 2015 after a year as a freelance writer. In the past he blogged for independent football fan channel Redmen TV, after graduating from Staffordshire University with degrees in journalism and English literature. He has worked on campaigns such as UOKM8? and IIOC.