Hurricane: Bermuda and Igor UPDATED

Hurricane: Bermuda and Igor UPDATED

The good news is that Hurricane Igor continues to weaken as it approaches the island of Bermuda this morning. It’s top winds have decreased to Category 1 status and are now sustained at 85 mph with gusts over 100 mph. That’s nothing to sneeze at but certainly far more palatable than the Category 2 and 3 status of the past few days. The bad news is that Bermuda will still experience a prolonged spell of high winds, heavy surf and torrential rains that will last through midday Monday. Winds are gusting to near 60mph at the Dockyard weather station on Bermuda and the eye of Igor is still over 200 miles south of the island. The track forecast continues to predict that the center of Igor will pass near or over the island tonight or early tomorrow morning. Aside from high surf and rip currents along or south facing coastline, Igor is not a threat to Southeastern New England. The official advisory is as follows.

AT 500 AM AST...0900 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IGOR WAS LOCATED

NEAR LATITUDE 28.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 65.3 WEST. IGOR IS MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH...19 KM/HR. A TURN TOWARD
THE NORTH AND AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED ARE EXPECTED TODAY AND
TONIGHT...FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST ON MONDAY. ON
THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF IGOR WILL PASS NEAR OR OVER
BERMUDA THIS EVENING OR TONIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 85 MPH...140 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48
HOURS...AND IGOR IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A DANGEROUS HURRICANE AS IT
MOVES NEAR OR OVER BERMUDA.

IGOR IS A VERY LARGE HURRICANE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD
UP TO 90 MILES...150 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 345 MILES...555 KM. BERMUDA
RECENTLY REPORTED A WIND GUST TO 43 MPH...69 KM/HR.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 949 MB...28.02 INCHES.


HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE CURRENTLY SPREADING OVER
BERMUDA...AND HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED BY THIS AFTERNOON
OR THIS EVENING.

RAINFALL...IGOR IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS
OF 6 TO 9 INCHES OVER BERMUDA.

STORM SURGE...A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE
SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING ON BERMUDA. THE SURGE WILL BE
ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAVES...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE
SOUTHERN COAST.

SURF...LARGE SWELLS WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE EAST COAST OF THE
UNITED STATES THROUGH MONDAY. LARGE SWELLS WILL GRADUALLY SUBSIDE
IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS...PUERTO RICO...THE VIRGIN ISLANDS...
HISPANIOLA...AND PORTIONS OF THE BAHAMAS DURING THE NEXT COUPLE
OF DAYS. THESE SWELLS ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING SURF
AND RIP CURRENTS. 

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