Meteorologists have warned that the worst could be yet come as Storm Ciarán continues to pound the Channel Islands and the south coast of England.
The storm's explosive potential, brought on by a sharp drop in pressure, has already earned it the nickname "weather bomb".
And now, expects are worried about the potential for the storm to bring out a phenomenon called "sting jet". The name alludes to the form the cloud assumes when it encircles the centre of a low-pressure area, resembling the curled tail of a scorpion.
Should a sting jet make landfall, it may rank among the few strongest storms to hit the area in the previous 200 years, according to Bob Henson, a science writer and meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections.
He added that this "punches" a tiny portion of the surface with extremely strong winds, potentially resulting in significant harm.
During the Great Storm of 1987, a sting jet struck the UK, resulting in 22 fatalities.
What is a sting jet?
A sting jet is a core of strong winds which sometimes form in rapidly deepening areas of low pressure and extend towards the ground.
Beginning three or four kilometres above the surface, it falls over the course of three or four hours.
It can accelerate to speeds exceeding 100 mph as a result of the evaporation and cooling caused by snow and rain falling across it.
Because of their modest size and the way that each unique low-pressure system arises, sting jets are challenging to predict. Nevertheless, there are warning indicators in weather models that may currently identify centres of extremely powerful winds.
The sting jet can also be seen forming on satellite photos, where a hook-shaped cloud with a point at the end indicates the terminus of the cold conveyor. The term "sting jet" comes from the fact that this typically resembles the sting in a scorpion's tail.
How is a sting jet formed?
Conveyor belts of warm and cold air typically encircle the weather system in areas of low pressure. As more warmth and moisture are introduced into the weather system, the cycles of warm air rising and cold air falling quicken.
When a jet of air from the cold conveyor drops to the earth over three or four hours from three or four kilometres in the atmosphere, it creates a sting jet. With the assistance of snow and rain, which evaporate and further cool the air, it gains speed as it descends.
