Category 3 Hurricane Nicole lingers next to Bermuda, bringing hurricane force winds to the island. With maximum wind gusts of 125 mph (200 km/h) being produced by Nicole, major damages to the island are expected.
As the eye of Nicole moves to the northeast, the center of the storm sits near the coast of Bermuda, expected to move along the eastern side of the island. This slight shift to the east will spare the island from the strongest winds. However, wind gusts will reach hurricane strength in Bermuda for much of today. Recorded gusts at 10:55am local time were already at 104 mph (167 km/h) and will increase in the coming hours.
EXPECTED IMPACTS:
Nicole is already bringing strong winds, heavy wind, and damaging surf as it nears Bermuda. The strongest wind gusts are expected from 11:00am to 3:00pm AST.
- Destructive winds exceeding 100 mph (160 km/h) with gusts up to 110 mph (175 km/h)
- High surf and storm surge flooding, especially on the south and east sides of the island
- Torrential rainfall of 5-8″ (125-200 mm)
- Isolated tropical tornadoes
Nicole will move quickly away from Bermuda Thursday night with conditions rapidly improving. We’ll keep sending updates as the storm continues to impact Bermuda – follow us on Twitter and Facebook.