Hurricane Igor

Landfall | Summary
Posting Date: September 20, 2010, 11:50:00 AM

Hurricane Igor made its closest pass to Bermuda—about 40 miles west of the island—late Sunday (03:00 UTC) with sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, a weak Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. At its height, the peak recorded winds at the Bermuda airport, on the eastern end of the island, were sustained 68 mph, gusting to 93 mph. However, because of Igor’s large size, the island was battered by hurricane- and tropical storm-force winds for the better part of a day. Local reports describe widespread, but generally minor damage across the island. The wind downed trees, signs and power poles, knocking out electricity in many parts of the island. The Bermuda Electric Light Company reported that nearly three-fourths of its customers (36,000 in all) had lost power. Streets in downtown Hamilton, Bermuda’s capital, were covered by several inches of water, and photos from around the island showed water as deep as several feet in some places, especially in low-lying areas. Some low-lying coastal roads were washed out by high waves and there has been significant beach erosion along Bermuda’s south coast. Streets were littered with tree branches and other debris. Some boats broke free of their moorings and several beach clubs and other structures on the immediate shore sustained more significant damage. The Causeway to Bermuda’s airport, which had been partially washed away by 2003’s Hurricane Fabian, suffered only minor damage and is expected to be reopened later today. Results of simulations of Igor using the AIR’s Atlantic hurricane model indicate that insured wind losses to onshore properties in Bermuda (buildings, contents and time element) will not exceed USD 100 million. Igor has now passed north of Bermuda, although the outermost reaches of its tropical storm-strength winds were continuing to impact the island as of the 8:00 am EDT Advisory of the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Tropical storm conditions gradually diminished over the course of this morning. As of the 11:00 am advisory, the NHC placed Igor about 275 miles north-northeast of Bermuda and moving to the north-northeast at nearly 24 mph—away from the eastern seaboard of the United States and toward the coast of Newfoundland. Igor’s maximum sustained winds remain near 75 mph, with higher gusts. The NHC does not expect Igor’s intensity to change significantly during the next 48 hours. Meanwhile, the AIR tropical cyclone team continues to assess damage from Hurricane Karl, which made landfall north of Mexico’s port city of Veracruz on Friday afternoon as a Category 3 storm. Losses from flooding are the chief concern. ALERT subscribers will be notified when loss estimates are available. The AIR tropical cyclone team is continuing to monitor conditions in Bermuda as well as in Mexico. Updates will be issued as warranted by events.

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Posting Date: September 20, 2010, 11:50:00 AM