Historic Hurricane Matthew has exited the Eastern Seaboard, but Tropical Storm Nicole continues to spin quietly over the open Atlantic. Nicole has been meandering for several days but is starting to move slowly north. Intensification is expected with Nicole likely to be a hurricane as it approaches Bermuda on Thursday.
Nicole was struggling with shear thrown off by a bigger, stronger Matthew as the latter hurricane raked the Southeast US coast. Now that Matthew has left the scene, conditions are becoming more favorable for Nicole to strengthen. The cyclone has also started to move slowly north after drifting south for a few days (see bottom right of satellite animation below). Slow motion to the north and northwest is expected through Wednesday morning. Nicole will likely speed up and turn northeast from later Wednesday on, putting Bermuda in the crosshairs by Thursday.
EXPECTED IMPACTS:
Nicole could be a Category One or even a weak Category Two hurricane as it moves near Bermuda with closest approach expected to occur around midday Thursday. Tourists and residents there should begin preparations now for:
- Destructive winds exceeding 74 mph with gusts to 100 mph
- High surf and storm surge flooding, especially on the south and east sides of the island
- Torrential rainfall and isolated tropical tornadoes
Nicole will move quickly away from Bermuda Thursday night with conditions rapidly improving. We’ll keep sending updates as long as Nicole threatens Bermuda in the next few days – follow us on Twitter and Facebook.