Belfast on storm alert as Hurricane Ophelia set to batter Northern Ireland

Belfast is bracing itself for the affects of Hurricane Ophelia which is set to batter Northern Ireland next week.

The Northern Ireland Weather and Flood Advisory Service says the hurricane will arrive on our shores on Monday. The service says 48ft waves are being expected out to sea.

Hurricane Ophelia is currently surging through the Atlantic, reaching speeds of up to 85mph.

The storm was upgraded to a category one hurricane on Wednesday night, making it the 10th hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic season.

But the weather service says Hurricane Ophelia will have turned into a "strong storm" by the time it arrives in Northern Ireland.

The UK weather is not warm enough to sustain it at that strength.

Met Office have issued a yellow warning for wind across Northern Ireland for Monday, October 16 from 8am until 11.55pm on Monday night.

A Met Office spokesperson said: "A spell of very windy weather is likely on Monday in association with ex-Ophelia. Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are possible. There is a slight chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.

"There is a slight chance of some damage to buildings, such as tiles from roofs. It is possible that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves. There is also a small chance that injuries could occur from beach material being thrown onto sea fronts."