WASHINGTON, Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hurricane Humberto strengthened to a major Category 3 storm on Tuesday and was expected to pass near Bermuda, threatening it with dangerous waves and heavy rain, the US National Hurricane Center said.
“Hurricane conditions are expected to reach Bermuda by Wednesday night and continue into early Thursday morning,” the Miami-based NHC said.
“Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or so, but Humberto should remain a powerful hurricane through Thursday,” it said.
As of 8:00 pm (0000 GMT), the storm had maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour (185 kilometers per hour) and was moving east-northeast at 12 miles per hour.
The storm is a large one with hurricane-force winds extending out 60 miles and tropical-storm-force winds extending out 175 miles.
A hurricane warning for Bermuda was issued 5 p.m. with hurricane conditions expected to begin Wednesday night into Thursday morning, the NHC said.
Storm surge is expected to raise water levels 1 to 3 feet above normal tide, and large swells could flood coastal areas, forecasters added.
While Humberto is moving away from the United States, the storm’s “life-threatening” swells will still impact the southeastern coast of the country from Central Florida to North Carolina as well as the northeastern Bahamas, the NHC said.
Meteorologists are keeping track of two other systems: the first being now Tropical Depression Imelda which struck southeast Texas and weakened from a tropical storm. The second is a depression located in the central tropical Atlantic projected become Hurricane Jerry by week’s end. — NNN-AGENCIES
