Jed Neill
HURRICANE Ophelia is currently building in the Atlantic and heading towards the northwest coast of Spain.
Ophelia gained hurricane status on Wednesday evening and is the 10th hurricane this Atlantic season.
The storm has picked up strength, with sustained winds of 85 mph and rain bands are likely to hit the Azores islands over the weekend.
It’s projected path will take the storm to Spain and Portugal before going north. Forecasters say it may hit the Irish and Scottish coasts on Monday.
If the storm makes landfall in Spain it will enter the history books as only two known storms have hit the Iberian Peninsula — one in 1842, and one in 2005.
It could also set records for the strongest storm to form in its location so far outside the tropics.
