Hurricane Ophelia is two words that are set to become the most Googled search term in Irish history.
Up and down the country social media users are beginning to share what is set to be the biggest storm to hit Ireland since Storm Debbie in 1961.
Footage has emerged of the roof of Douglas Community School in Cork being thrown into the air by strong winds:
There goes the roof of Douglas Community School ?#ophelia via @breffnih pic.twitter.com/aVwBLc1GTC
— Nadine O'Regan (@NadineORegan) October 16, 2017
Dramatic footage of the roof being blown off #Douglas Community School's gym on southside of #Cork city #Ophelia #iestaff pic.twitter.com/0dSw5w1rTj
— Eoin English (@EoinBearla) October 16, 2017
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Animals are known for being able to sense extreme weather conditions and this footage from of birds preparing for the hurricane is nerve inducing:
Ummmm... think they know there’s something big coming? #Ophelia #mondays pic.twitter.com/jz4iCLunlk
— Sarah Kavanagh (@sltlk) October 16, 2017
The South of Ireland was hit by the storm first and already counties such as Kerry and Cork are sharing some of the damage caused by the storm. At 7.30am Kerry's Dingle began to feel the first signs of the hurricane.
Just starting to get nasty here in Dingle #ophelia Torrential rain and very strong gusts pic.twitter.com/eMVvcknknm
— Richard Chambers? (@newschambers) October 16, 2017
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The first signs of the carnage outside started appearing online at 9 am this morning:
Lots of trees down across Limerick already!! Thanks to Peter in Clarina for this picture! #Ophelia #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/D1riAaWfMF
— Limerick's Live 95FM (@LimLive95fm) October 16, 2017
Met Eireann have shared this footage from the top of Roches Point
Images from our Roches Point weather webcam.
Trees are coming down.
Roches Point has a mean wind speed of 111km/h
Gusts of 156km/h#Ophelia pic.twitter.com/NEsTvuob6M— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) October 16, 2017
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More trees are falling in Cork with warnings coming from Cork Safety Alerts:
#CorkTraffic Reports of a tree down in Glanmire outside the Vienna Woods Hotel. #Ophelia
— Cork Safety Alerts (@CorkSafetyAlert) October 16, 2017
and footage of the strength of the winds, which are expected to reach 130 km/h, in the next few hours:
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Winds picking up on the grounds of the @HSELive St Mary's Health Campus & new Primary Care Centre. Ward rounds finished. #Ophelia #GPatwork pic.twitter.com/2pgi9i5NGd
— Nick Flynn (@drnickgp) October 16, 2017
The streets of Kinsale are covered in debris as roofs and structures have begun to fall:
Substantial damage caused after high winds caused a roof to collapse and land on a taxi in Kinsale #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/Bt0iMSgFLc
— Today FM (@TodayFM) October 16, 2017
People are going to extreme lengths to protect their belongings:
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Here is how to secure your trampoline during hurricane #Ophelia - Cavan style. pic.twitter.com/2GI3MJgCVN
— IFJ Dealer (@IFJDealer) October 16, 2017
It is estimated that 200,000 people are now without power in the Southern tips of the country so may not know the full extent of the damage until tomorrow.
The storm is raging against the West coast of Cork and flooding is envitable at this point:
#Ophelia wind and waves ramping up at Cobh Port in #Cork #Ireland. Video via
Nathan Graepel pic.twitter.com/WzmqGigk9K— Mike Seidel (@mikeseidel) October 16, 2017
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WATCH: Flooding will now be a problem as eye of storm passes over south west of Ireland. #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/h5g2Ar2mle
— Darren McCaffrey (@DMcCaffreySKY) October 16, 2017
The East coast is beginning to be impacted by the storm and Dublin Fire Brigade are warning civilians to tighten their windows:
We’ve one unit attending a window hanging dangerously loose in Dublin 8. Might be time to close all your windows now. #ophelia
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) October 16, 2017
If you don't already need reminding, do not leave your home or make unnecessary journeys.
