In spite of all the doomladen forecasts, the Azores archipelago escaped the wrath of Hurricane Ophelia as the extreme weather front thundered towards northern Europe, provoking high winds and elevated temperatures on Portugal’s mainland.
On Saturday, when the Azores was braced for Ophelia, a number of flights went ahead until midday without incident.
Up to 850 passengers then found their flights had to be cancelled or re-routed, but the complications were transitory.
As for damages, these too were minimal and localised.
By mid-morning on Sunday it was all over. Ophelia was 655 kms northeast of the archipelago and good weather was once again in place.
The hurricane is now losing power and is expected to make landfall in UK as a post-tropical storm. Nonetheless it is affecting weather all over Portugal. Yesterday, the heat and wind were intense, and today rain is expected – indeed it is being prayed for in the centre and north where destruction by fire has become chaotic (click here).
The latest from meteorological authority IPMA is that Portugal will feel an abrupt fall in temperatures as Ophelia forges towards northern Europe, putting the UK on major storm alert.
