San Juan, Puerto Rico (AP) – Hurricane Imelda The barrels were lit up towards Bermuda on Wednesday as forecasters warned that they could pass small British territory as a Category 2 storm.
Strong winds and rain are expected to begin colliding with the island by Wednesday afternoon and continue until Thursday. Imelda expects to pass near or through Bermuda in the afternoon or evening.
Hurricane warnings were effective for Bermuda.
Imelda was located about 395 miles (640 km) west and southwest of Bermuda. According to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami, the largest sustained wind was 90 mph (150 kph) and traveled east-northeast at 21 mph (33 kph).
“It’s a dangerous storm system that can have destructive winds, heavy rains and serious coastal effects,” said Bermuda’s Minister of National Security, Michael Weeks.
Bermuda closed its public schools and international airports on Wednesday, with government offices and businesses expected to do the same by the afternoon. By Wednesday morning, more than 340 customers were already out of power, according to the government.
Imelda is expected to unlock up to 4 inches (10 cm) of rain across Bermuda, creating dangerous storm surges that predictors could unleash floods.
A deadly storm
Earlier in the week, Imelda smashed the Northern Caribbean, unleashing widespread flooding in eastern Cuba, where two people were killed.
In Guantanamo, more than 18,000 people were evacuated, while in Santiago de Cuba, floods and landslides blocked access to 17 communities with over 24,000 people living there.
Meanwhile, Haitian authorities said one person has gone missing and two injured after severe flooding in the country’s southwestern and northwest.
Hurricane Hanbert is stirring near Bermuda after passing west of the island on Tuesday.
It was located about 280 miles (450 km) north-northwest of Bermuda. The largest sustained wind was 80 mph (130 kph), moving northeast at 14 mph (22 kph).
Humbel was expected to stay above open water.
A beach hit by dangerous swells
Both Humbel and Imelda had created dangerous waves and fatal rifts affecting beaches along the North Caribbean, the Bahamas, Bermuda and much of the US East Coast.
At least five vacant homes along the Outer Banks in North Carolina I fell into the sea The latest private beachfront structure will be marked on Tuesday, according to the US National Park Service Falling to surf recent years.
So far, this Atlantic hurricane season is marking the first time in a decade that the hurricane has not made landfall in the US until the end of September, according to U.S. private weather forecaster Accuweather.
“This hurricane season so far has been very unique and there have been some close calls in the US,” said Alex Dasilva, lead hurricane expert at Accuweather.
only Tropical Storm Chantal It landed in the US earlier this year.
He said Hurricane Humbeld has pulled Hurricane Imelda away from the US East Coast, something known as the Fuji effect.
Humberto and Imelda were just 467 miles (751 kilometres) apart earlier this week, according to hurricane expert and storm surge expert Michael Lowry.
While the Atlantic hurricane season continued to end, Dasilva urged people to stay vigilant.
“We hope to have an atmospheric condition that can support tropical storms and hurricanes through late October and November this year,” he said.
Imelda, which reached hurricane strength on Tuesday, is the fourth hurricane of this year’s Atlantic season.
The US National Marine and Atmospheric Administration had predicted normal seasons with storms of 13 to 18 names. Of these, five to nine were predicted to be hurricanes, including two to five major hurricanes packing winds above 111 mph (178 kph).
Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th.
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Gary Robertson contributed to this report from Raleigh, North Carolina.
