Hurricane Nicole

Post Landfall 1 | Summary
Posting Date: October 14, 2016, 8:00:00 AM

At one point a Category 4 storm as it took aim at Bermuda, Nicole was a Category 3 storm when it tracked close enough to the island to be termed a direct hit late yesterday morning, the strongest storm to impact Bermuda since Fabian in 2003, the eye of which passed just west of the island. Leading up to its approach, Nicole’s eye was much discussed in terms of its size and position. Fifty miles in diameter at one point, it was 40 miles in diameter when it moved over Bermuda, which is only 15 miles wide.

A last minute jog to the east by Nicole may have spared Bermuda the worst part of the storm, i.e., the eastern half where the hurricane’s winds were strongest. But the northern and western eyewalls still provided very strong winds, topping 100 mph in some locations. The L.F. Wade International Airport, on the east end of the island, measured sustained wind speeds of 77 mph and peak gusts of 104 mph yesterday around 10 a.m. In addition, storm surge could have been much worse if Nicole had arrived during high tide. As it happened, the tide was going out when Nicole passed closest to the island, around 11 a.m., and low tide was at 12:48 p.m. Bermuda would have experienced roughly an extra two feet of inundation if the storm had made its closest pass during high tide.

Reported Impacts

Nicole still caused significant damage; by yesterday afternoon about 90% of the island’s electricity customers were without power, according to the tally of the island’s one electricity provider, BELCO. The company has worked to restore power to a significant portion of those customers and those efforts continue today. As of 10 this morning, 9,353 customers still did not have power, roughly one-third the number without power yesterday afternoon.

All schools and government offices, many businesses, and L.F. Wade International Airport were closed yesterday. Bus and ferry services were shut down and no time has been given for when they will resume. The causeway connecting to the airport was also closed but has re-opened today. The airport was scheduled to re-open at noon, but schools and government offices will remain closed today, as well as some businesses. Everyone on the island was ordered to stay indoors yesterday and today, as power lines were downed, roads were flooded or collapsed, and trees were uprooted or snapped. Extensive flooding has inundated many homes and businesses throughout Bermuda, and there have been reports of roof damage.

Forecast and Intensity

Nicole’s impacts are no longer being felt on Bermuda, except for swells and rip currents. Nicole continues to weaken as it is being torn apart by wind shear and heads northeast. Nicole is expected to become post-tropical soon, remaining a strong storm into next week, but it is not expected to impact land, except for swells on portions of the East Coast and Atlantic Canada during the next few days.

Post Landfall 1 | Downloads
Posting Date: October 14, 2016, 8:00:00 AM