Hurricane Lorenzo, which broke records as the most northeasterly Category 5 storm ever, left Portugal’s Azores islands today (Oct. 2) heavily diminished as a post-tropical cyclone. At its arrival as a Category 2, officials recorded Lorenzo bringing winds up to 101 miles per hour (163 km/h) and surging waves to the small group of islands.
While the Azores have reported no injuries, forecasters are wary of Lorenzo’s path, which is projected to hit the coast of Ireland later this week as a tropical storm. Storms of this strength are a rarity for Ireland, but the region is no stranger to severe weather. In 2017 Storm Ophelia brought 120 mph winds and was blamed for three deaths. It also triggered Ireland’s first national weather alert.
Pictures from today show the destruction after Lorenzo made landfall:
