Additional Coverage:
- Hurricane Imelda strengthens while targeting Bermuda as storm slams coastal Southeast with dangerous waves (foxweather.com)
MIAMI – Hurricane Imelda has intensified off the southeastern U.S. coast, with forecasters predicting it will likely strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane as it closes in on Bermuda this week. While the U.S. is not expected to see a direct landfall, the storm’s far-reaching effects are already being felt along the entire East Coast, from the Southeast to New England.
Tragically, Hurricane Imelda’s impacts have already proven deadly. In Florida, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office reported that a 51-year-old man from out of state drowned after being caught in a powerful rip current and unable to return to shore. Meanwhile, in Cuba, local authorities confirmed the death of a 60-year-old man in Santiago, whose home collapsed in a landslide triggered by torrential rain while he slept.
Rip currents pose a significant danger this week, exacerbated by both Hurricane Imelda and Hurricane Humberto, another storm swirling in the Atlantic. These systems are generating massive waves, creating hazardous conditions at beaches across the East Coast.
Bermuda is now bracing for Imelda’s arrival, just as the island contends with the lingering effects of former Category 5 Hurricane Humberto. In preparation for the impending storm, L.F. Wade International Airport, the island’s only airport, has ceased operations.
“We do have some flight cancellations,” stated Jason Inniss, Director of Operations at L.F. Wade International Airport.
“Most of the carriers would have operated extra flights earlier this morning just to make sure those people who need to leave the island can get off the island safely.” Inniss confirmed that one final flight from Europe would be the last departure, with all flights canceled Wednesday and the airport remaining closed from Tuesday night until at least noon on Thursday.
He emphasized the airport’s commitment to staff safety, ensuring employees could get home before the worst of the storm.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Bermudian officials issued urgent pleas for residents to complete all preparations for Imelda. The Hon.
Michael Weeks, JP, MP, underscored the gravity of the situation. “Bermuda, I cannot overstate the seriousness of this threat,” Weeks warned.
“Imelda is expected to bring sustained hurricane-force winds for four to six hours overnight Wednesday into Thursday. This, and I must stress, is not a passing squall.
This is a dangerous storm system that could bring destructive winds, heavy rainfall and significant coastal impacts.”
Weeks urged residents to complete all preparations by noon on Wednesday, stressing that complacency could be fatal. “That is exactly why we cannot be complacent,” he said.
“Some may look outside and think it doesn’t look too bad and decide not to take precautions. I want to say directly to every resident – do not take that risk.
We must treat Imelda as a very serious storm.”
As of the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Imelda currently boasts maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, with further strengthening anticipated. The NHC’s forecast projects winds could reach 100 mph by Wednesday evening, elevating Imelda to a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
The center of Hurricane Imelda is located approximately 690 miles west-southwest of Bermuda and is tracking northeast at 12 mph. The NHC expects Imelda to accelerate eastward-northeastward over the next few days, positioning its center to approach Bermuda Wednesday afternoon.
A Hurricane Warning is now in effect for Bermuda, indicating that tropical storm conditions could begin impacting the island by Wednesday afternoon, with hurricane conditions likely following by Wednesday evening.
Rainfall predictions suggest 1-2 inches, with isolated totals up to 4 inches, across coastal areas of southeastern North Carolina, potentially leading to isolated flash and urban flooding. As Imelda passes Bermuda, 2-4 inches of rain are expected between Wednesday and Thursday, also posing a flash flood risk.
Additionally, coastal flooding is possible in areas of onshore winds along the southeastern U.S. shoreline, with water levels potentially reaching 1-2 feet above high tide from Florida’s Volusia/Brevard County line northward to South Carolina’s South Santee River.
Dangerous swells generated by both Hurricane Imelda and Hurricane Humberto are impacting the Bahamas and spreading across much of the U.S. East Coast, leading to life-threatening surf and deadly rip currents.
This season continues to be active in the Atlantic, with Hurricane Gabrielle preceding the simultaneous activity of Hurricane Humberto and Hurricane Imelda, several hundred miles apart. The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30.