Hurricane Ophelia’s remnants batter British Isles, 1 killed

The remnants of Hurricane Ophelia hit the British Isles on Monday, and a woman was killed as authorities braced for potentially significant damage .

A 20-year-old-woman, who was not identified, was killed when part of a tree fell on her car in West Waterford, authorities said. Another passenger in the car, a woman in her 50s, was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Authorities in Ireland closed schools, courts and government buildings as the storm came in. About 120,000 homes were without power in Ireland, where the government has deployed the army to assist with disaster response..

Ireland’s meteorological service is predicting wind gusts of 75 mph to 93 mph, sparking fears of travel chaos. Some flights have been canceled, and aviation officials are warning travelers to check the latest information before going to the airport Monday.

The weather service issued a “status red” warning, saying “violent and destructive” wind is forecast nationwide and that “heavy rain and storm surges along some coasts will lead to flooding.”

Britain’s Met Office also warned of very windy weather in parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England. The agency is warning of potential power cuts and disruption to transport and mobile phone signals.